In the past few days, a video of a truck from Pakistan, with a giant portrait of Sidhu Musewala painted on its back, has gone viral on social media, with users applauding the tribute to the Punjabi singer killed by a Pakistani fan.
In the video, the truck driver can be seen proudly posing with Moosewala’s portrait as the singer’s songs play in the background. Many people who saw the truck moving on the roads of Pakistan also clicked its pictures and shared it on social media saying, “It is said that in Pakistan if your picture is on the truck, it means that you are the people of the people. are in the hearts. People.”
Speaking to The Indian Express over phone, the truck driver Shahzad Bhatti (30) said that he was a resident of Arifwala in Pakistan’s Punjab province. Bhatti is in the transport business and owns six trucks, one of which has Moosewala’s portrait.
Bhatti said that he assigned a local painter the task of painting Musewala’s portrait on the truck, but he sought more days to complete the work. (express photo)
“I am a die-hard fan of Moosewala. The day he was shot dead in India, my heart was so broken that I could not believe it for four-five days. I was so saddened by his passing that I wanted to do something big and unique in his memory. I decided to pay tribute to him by doing something so that everyone in Pakistan and India would know that I was his biggest fan. So I decided to paint his portrait on my truck before his birthday, which was on June 11. I never thought that my videos would go viral in India too. It was a small effort on my part to keep Musewala alive in Pakistan,” Bhatti said.
Rapper Shubhdeep Singh alias Sidhu Moosewala (28) was shot dead on 29 May in Mansa, Punjab. Bhatti said that he assigned a local painter the task of painting Musewala’s portrait on the truck, but he sought more days to complete the work. “But I wanted the painting to be completed by June 11, which was Moosewala’s birthday. Now wherever we take this truck, people run to take selfies and ask from where we got it done.”
In the video, the truck driver can be seen proudly posing with Moosewala’s portrait as the singer’s songs play in the background. (express photo)
In Pakistan, trucks are not only a means of transporting goods, but a part of the post-independence heritage, where drivers have long shown the allure of decorating vehicles “like a bride”. With its roots in Afghanistan and Pakistan, ‘truck art’ is an internationally recognized artwork, featuring not only murals, but also hand-painted portraits of well-known personalities adorning the large vehicle. However, an Indian Sikh singer occupying that position – which is mostly reserved for Pakistani national heroes and local actors or singers – is quite rare.
An ardent fan of Moosewala said that he has already handed over the work of painting the singer’s portrait on five of his other trucks. “Not only me, but all my friends and relatives who are truck owners and fans of Moosewala will also get his pictures painted on their trucks. In Pakistan, truck art is very famous and if we like a personality then there is a way to express. As long as I am alive, my truck will carry pictures of Moosewala because he and his songs were really close to my heart.
He said, “His song ‘295’ has always been my favourite, especially when he has sung the reality of today’s world – ‘Karega taraki put hat milugi (The more you move, the more you hate)’… .,” They said. Bhatti said that his truck has now attracted a lot of attention in Pakistan with the famous Moosewala picture. “Other truck drivers are asking me from where I made this painting. There are thousands of Musewala fans in Pakistan and everyone is in shock at his demise.
