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Truck tales

Updated on: 30 January,2014 10:17 AM IST  | 
Ruchika Kher |

Horn Please — Trucking in India is a recently released coffee table book, conceptualised and curated by Divya Jain, which attempts to change the perception of society towards truck drivers and trucking in India

Truck tales

What: Horn Please — Trucking in India is a recently released coffee table book, conceptualised and curated by Divya Jain. The book attempts to change the perception of society towards truck drivers and trucking in India. The book is the result of four acclaimed international photographers — Sephi Bergerson, Zackary Canepari, Claude Barutel and Thomas Pickard — travelling across the country in trucks, over four years. In the process, they captured every aspect of their journey, the life of truck drivers and some stunning landscapes, which are all featured in the coffee table book.


Distance couldn’t keep them apart; two elephants bonding while on different trucks
Distance couldn’t keep them apart; two elephants bonding while on different trucks

Though it is not advisable to undertake any kind of cooking in trucks, at times drivers traverse regions where there are no dhabas or eateries along the highways, forcing them to set up a kitchen on the move.
Though it is not advisable to undertake any kind of cooking in trucks, at times drivers traverse regions where there are no dhabas or eateries along the highways, forcing them to set up a kitchen on the move.


How: “The project began as an attempt to change the way we view our truck drivers. As I spent more time understanding their status in our society, it became pretty clear that truck drivers and the trucks themselves are commonly associated with a host of negative adjectives — accidents, drunk driving, pollution, traffic jams and even AIDS,” says Jain, stressing that she wanted to bring excitement, glamour and a bit of fun to the perception of Indian trucks, and spread the message of how vital they are to the Indian economy. Towards this aim, the author collaborated with four internationally acclaimed photographers who found the Indian trucks fascinating, with their colours and designs. They returned with over 7,500 images, after journeys over a span of four years. From capturing the mind-boggling beauty of the Indian landscape to the daily hurdles encountered by the truck drivers who bear the brunt of administrative and police officers’ wrath, “the pictures spoke a thousand words,” shares Jain. She also mentions that the proceeds from the sale of the book will go towards the welfare and betterment of several truck drivers.

People load a truck with sand from a river bed in the high Himalaya mountains
People load a truck with sand from a river bed in the high Himalaya mountains

A truck stuck in a snow storm in the Himalayan region

A truck stuck in a snow storm in the Himalayan region

Hitching a ride amidst the coconut trees in the backwaters of Kerala

Hitching a ride amidst the coconut trees in the backwaters of Kerala


Where: Horn Please — Trucking In India, Safexpress,  Rs 2,500. Available at all leading bookstores in the city.


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