Rickshaw Art – the moving canvas of Bangladesh – continues to amaze tourists

While wondering around the city of Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, or any other cities or towns of the country, one would notice some moving artworks – rickshaws – the traditional three-wheelers that carry a typical style of bright paintings on their bodies.

If one looks closely, one would find a distinct painting style and the use of colour across all forms of three-wheelers, known as the rickshaws in Bangladesh and some parts of India where they are not only part of the transportation eco-system, but also a part of culture. Rickshaws, in a way, provide the economic lifeline for people in rural and urban areas of the country – where the majority of the 170 million people can’t afford motor cars.

Rickshaw art is a moving canvas of Bangladesh – full of colour, imagination, and cultural pride. Deeply rooted in local life and recognised by UNESCO, it remains one of the country’s most distinctive artistic traditions. The similarity in the use of colour, brightness and tones appears as if all of them have been done by the same artists.

However, despite their similarities, these paintings are hand-crafted by hundreds of rickshaw painters scattered across the country’s length and breadth and the industry remains informal and fragmented. But they all create the same types of painting – often replicating the posters of popular cinemas and actors.

On these rickshaw arts, one would identify the leading heroes and heroines of Dhaka’s film industry, such as – Razzak, Kobori, Babita, Shabana, Jashim, Faruk, Wasim, Javed, etc – of the 1970s and 1980s.

Surprisingly, none of the rickshaw artists are trained or educated artists. Most of them probably have never passed the 5th grade while others might not have set foot on the classroom. However, these ‘painters’ – mostly employed as labourers in rickshaw garages – have mastered the art of painting by just following one another, practicing and perfecting the art of rickshaw paint.

On 6 December 2023, UNESCO announced the addition of Dhaka's rickshaws and their associated artwork to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

“Regional variations in rickshaw art have been observed across Bangladesh. In Dhaka, film stars' faces are typically painted in blue or pink hues. Sylhet-area rickshaws often feature religious sayings, whilst those in Khulna commonly depict train driving or aircraft in flight. However, the practice is reportedly declining due to the emergence of motorised rickshaws and increasing costs, among other factors,” says a report.

Estimates suggest there are over 1 million rickshaws in Dhaka alone, with hundreds of thousands operating daily. While official figures are lower due to lack of registration for many, especially battery-powered ones, the total number of rickshaws (both pedal and electric) nationwide is vast, with Dhaka often cited as having the highest concentration globally.

More than 2 million rickshaws employ around 2.5 million Bangladeshis – mostly coming from rural background. Most of the rickshaws are taken on rent by the drivers who pay a daily fixed rent to the owners and keep the balance income to themselves. Sometimes one rickshaw is shared by two drivers who split the time among themselves. Some rickshaw owners deploy between 10-20 rickshaws that runs more like a rent-a-car business. More than 9 million lives directly and about 20 million indirectly depend on the rickshaw industry that.

“The economic impact of rickshaws is substantial, contributing about six per cent to Bangladesh's annual gross domestic product, or about US$4.8 billion,” a recent report said. “While accurate estimates are absent, the rickshaw industry is reported to employ two to five million rickshaw pullers nationwide. However, one study estimated the number of rickshaw pullers at more than 2.2 million in Dhaka alone, which is often referred to as the rickshaw capital of the world.

“An estimated 19.6 million people indirectly relying on the sector, including pullers' families, repairers, manufacturers, owners, cycle parts vendors, and even tea stall proprietors whose primary clients consists of rickshaw pullers. In some regions, rickshaw pulling is a seasonal occupation, complementing agricultural or other work throughout the year.”