Rickshaw design

The rickshaws are personalized and decorated with colorful paintings and murals of everything from famous Bollywood actors, cricket players and global politicians to animals, birds and flowers. Some have pictures of mosques, village scenes or famous buildings. Some might carry political statements (portraits of Saddam Hussein or Osama bin laden). A few tell stories but most are just there to look colourful.
Each rickshaw is hand made and most of them come from one place. I have not yet visited the village, but most of them are made then customized by the person who rents them out or the renter. A rickshaw is basically a half of a bicycle with a carriage on two wheels instead of the back wheel. The carriage is made of wood and metal and welded on to the front end. There are no gears, and the breaks only control the front wheel. The more decorous rickshaws are surprisingly expressive and will often have portraits of family members, national heroes, and Bollywood stars along with the rickshaw walla’s phone number.

Some rickshaw wallas seem to have painted their very dreams onto their vehicles. The power of the human spirit is constantly on display in this city where hope can seem to be justifiably lost.