Verses on Vehicles: Religion, Romance, and Ritual in Truck Art of Nepal.
This study examines the cultural significance of verses and paintings on long-haul trucks in Nepal. It analyses their articulation of religion, romance, ritual, and their emotional and social resonance for drivers and communities, while situating them within South Asian and global discourses on mobi...
| Publicado en: | Asiatic: IIUM Journal of English Language & Literature Vol. 20; no. 1; pp. 71 - 95 |
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| Autores principales: | , |
| Formato: | Artículo |
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Asiatic: IIUM Journal of English Language & Literature
Jun2026
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=195660002&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 195660002 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 19853106 5EWG jtl: Asiatic: IIUM Journal of English Language & Literature issn: 19853106 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jun2026 vid: 20 iid: 1 pid: 44508 pub: Asiatic: IIUM Journal of English Language & Literature artinfo: ui: 195660002 ppf: 71 ppct: 24 formats: fmt: @attributes: type: P size: 3.6MB tig: atl: Verses on Vehicles: Religion, Romance, and Ritual in Truck Art of Nepal. aug: au: Ahmed, Sheikh Saifullah Adhikary, Ramesh Prasad affil: International University of Business Agriculture and Technology, Bangladesh Tribhuvan University, Nepal su: Folk art Ritual Automotive transportation Religions Cultural values Nepali people Folk culture Romantic love Nepal sug: subj: Nepal Folk art Ritual Automotive transportation Religions Cultural values Nepali people Folk culture Romantic love keyword: Labour histories mobility studies South Asian vehicular art truck literature vernacular culture visual semiotics ab: This study examines the cultural significance of verses and paintings on long-haul trucks in Nepal. It analyses their articulation of religion, romance, ritual, and their emotional and social resonance for drivers and communities, while situating them within South Asian and global discourses on mobility, material religion, and vernacular culture. Using a mixed-methods approach, fieldwork was conducted at Dhankhola, Dang district of Nepal, with purposive sampling of 135 trucks. Data collection included 90 hours of observation, over 500 photographs, and interviews with 30 drivers, five painters, and two cultural experts. Qualitative data were analysed through content analysis, thematic coding, and visual semiotics, while quantitative analysis quantified the prevalence of different motifs. Findings show religious motifs (58.5%) act as protective talismans, transforming trucks into mobile shrines on dangerous routes. Romantic inscriptions (31.1%) serve as emotional anchors, easing isolation but often reinforcing patriarchal norms. Ritual blessings (27.4%) sustain family ties, satirical commentary (11.1%) channels dissent, and national imagery (16.3%) fosters collective identity. These motifs, grounded in mobilities, material religion, and vernacular frameworks, position trucks as dynamic cultural infrastructure. This research contributes unique insights into South Asian cultural studies by documenting the understudied vehicular art of Nepal and urges to preserve it against the threat of modernisation. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y custom: Copyright of Asiatic: IIUM Journal of English Language & Literature is the property of Asiatic: IIUM Journal of English Language & Literature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. item: Asiatic: IIUM Journal of English Language & Literature holder: Asiatic: IIUM Journal of English Language & Literature dt: @attributes: year: 2026 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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