Ayya Vandi / Truck Ready for Action
Step 1: Buy a Truck.
We bought a truck with a longer body in the back so we can construct a mobile shop on wheels.
Step 2: Modify the Truck
Important lesson: If you are planning to do any serious modification, you are better off with an empty chassis. We had to sell off the original body for such a low cost to the body builder. Truck modification ended up being an unpleasant experience, thanks to an uncooperative vendor. We hope to not repeat this in the future.
Step 3: Paint the Truck
The sticker was not ready. Actually, we did not even have an idea for the sticker. So, we decided to paint the truck as an interim step. It went around the community for a few months bereft of anything other than our colors.
Step 4: Sticker the Truck
Finally we found the design inspiration from a YouTube video! Someone had converted Nammazhvar Ayya’s speech on soil health and organic agriculture into an animated video. After a long search, we located the artist — Rajini Babu — who was kind enough to give the final panel from the video for our truck. He would not accept payment, even a nominal fee for the effort it would have taken to put together that video. “I want the idea to spread” was his logic. Our eternal gratitude for his generosity.
The line drawing from the last panel was converted into a colorful pictorial representation suitable for the side of a truck, thanks to Vela Crafties, the vehicle modification specialists.
This entire phase was a pleasant experience, thanks to the responsive vendor(s). A shout out to Rajini Babu and Vela Crafties in Erode.
Step 5: Done! No more steps.
And ta-da, the truck is ready. It is a multipurpose vehicle — our load mover, pop-up shop for sales, ambassador for organic agriculture, and promotion banner on wheels.
ஓரம் போ, ஓரம் போ…அய்யா வண்டி வருது! :)
Hope you like it as much as we do. :)
