The Art of the Rickshaw

A Anyone who has spent time in Dhaka knows the sound of the cycle rickshaw: the ring of a bell, the creak of a chain, the shout of a puller asking for room. Fewer visitors stop to look closely at the vehicles themselves. Yet the back panels, hoods and seats of many rickshaws carry some of the most colourful popular art in South Asia. Film stars, flowers, birds, rural landscapes and imaginary cities glow in bright enamel paint, turning the traffic of the capital into a slow-moving gallery.

B The tradition is younger than many people assume. Cycle rickshaws arrived in Dhaka in the late 1930s, and the early models were plain. Painted decoration became widespread in the 1950s and 1960s, when owners began to compete for passengers. A rickshaw that looked new and cheerful was believed to attract more customers, and pullers, who usually rent their vehicles by the day, preferred well-decorated ones. Decoration, in other words, began as a commercial decision.

C The work itself is divided among several specialists. Metal workers build the frame, carpenters make the seat and the hood frame, and upholsterers stretch plastic and cloth over them. The painters, however, are the stars of the workshop. Working on thin tin sheets, they first apply a background colour and then build up the image in layers, often from memory rather than from a sketch. A skilled painter can finish a panel in a single day, and the best are known by name throughout the trade.

D The images change with the times. In the years after independence, scenes of the Liberation War and national symbols were popular. Later came portraits of cinema heroes and heroines, which remain a favourite. Painters have also produced animals behaving like humans, idealised villages with rivers and boats, and futuristic cities full of aeroplanes and tower blocks. These themes reflect what pullers and passengers dream about: home, glamour, and a modern life that many of them have not yet reached.

E Not everyone has welcomed the art. Some people have considered the paintings old-fashioned or simply too loud, and painters have always had to adapt their subjects to changing tastes. More recently, the greatest threat has come from technology. Printed vinyl stickers and digitally produced panels are cheaper and quicker to make than hand painting, and many owners now choose them. As a result, the number of working rickshaw painters has fallen sharply, and few young people are entering the profession.

F The art has also lost space on the roads. Several main roads in Dhaka have been closed to rickshaws to reduce traffic jams, and battery-powered rickshaws, which often have plain bodies, are spreading in smaller towns. For pullers, these changes are mainly about income. For painters, they mean fewer vehicles to decorate and less demand for their skills.

G Despite these pressures, there are signs of renewed interest. In 2023, UNESCO added rickshaws and rickshaw painting in Dhaka to its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Galleries and design shops now sell panels and hand-painted objects such as trays, kettles and bags to tourists and collectors. Some painters say they earn more from these objects than they ever did from rickshaws.

H Critics warn that this new market could change the art in unwelcome ways. A panel made to hang on a wall is different from one made to survive rain, dust and daily traffic, and works designed for collectors may follow fashion rather than the tastes of ordinary city dwellers. Supporters reply that every living tradition adapts, and that the most important thing is to keep the skills alive. For the moment, both the street and the gallery seem to need the painters.