If you're going to spend 10 months of the year on the road, you'd want a pretty sweet ride.
For truckers in India, that means a kaleidoscope of colors, slogans, and intricately painted symbols that are as much about bling -- as shrewd business sense.
Here, a truck isn't just a way to get around. It's a moving work of art reflecting the character of its driver -- and a brilliant beacon for new customers.
"A better looking truck attracts more business," says Shantanu Suman, graphic designer and filmmaker behind 2013 documentary "Horn Please," which explores India's spectacular truck art tradition.
"Imagine the truck is like a moving billboard. It travels from one side of the country to the other, carrying the message of the truck driver and owner."
Home on wheels
In a nation spanning almost 4 million square kilometers, truck drivers are the ones quite literally keeping the Indian economy moving -- delivering goods to rural parts of the country inaccessible by railway.
It's a job which entails long months on the road, and these hefty vehicles transformed into mobile homes away from home, kitted out with bunk beds and photos of loved ones far away.
Spectacular symbolism
The symbolism continues on the richly painted exterior, with images of gods and goddesses, Bollywood stars, and political logos that say much about the person behind the wheel.
"Depending on which region they're from, you'll see Hindi, Muslim, Sikh, and Christian iconography," said photographer Dan Eckstein, who traveled over 10,000kms of the country for his book "Horn Please: The Decorated Trucks of India."
"There's also a lot of decoration that has to do with luck on the road and warning away bad omens. There's a little demon face they put on the front of the truck, or they might tie shoes to the bottom which is meant to keep away the evil eye."
