India, Aug. 9 -- Those who hear the term Transport Type might immediately picture the bold, poetic, and religious motifs adorning India's long-haul trucks. And why not? Our trucks are legendary in their decorative flair. The Horn OK Please sign was on the back of every heavy vehicle until 2015. Other motifs endure: Florals, talismans, even full portraits of family or film stars. It's art on the move. Indian vehicular lettering shows off identity, local pride and linguistic play. And there's always a story to tell. In Kolkata, buses are painted as boldly and lovingly as any canvas. The sides carry hand-painted Bengali and English lettering, displaying route details, vehicle numbers, start and end points, all in flamboyant strokes and hues that capture the city's energy and history. These are visual signatures, each bus bearing the mark of its painter, driver, and community. On the driver's door, you'll spot the iconic "Pilot" text - always hand-lettered. Even practical elements, like signs for the Emergency Exit, get a decorative twist. It's swashy, ornamental and impossible to ignore. India's intercity and interstate bus services go all-out with vinyl lettering - stickers and motifs that are precisely cut to fit parts of the gigantic vehicles. One standout example: A bus meant to promote a women's exercise uses the lights on the front corners to serve as flexing arms, and displays the letters, YOGA, using human bodies. Cheesy perhaps, but delightful. It only exists because someone decided to put a women-only exercise bus on the road! Language interplay is a bonanza whenever you spot it. On some buses, the word Aashirwad uses the Hindi substitute for A. It's a small example of code-switching in design, but oh-so-rich in cultural texture. Small rides also bring their own lettering magic. Tempos, which primarily deliver vegetables, often display cheeky names such as Mayank English Vegetable. What are English veggies? The visuals have the answer: Broccoli, courgette, red and yellow bell peppers. It's a playful nod to freshly delivered "foreign" produce. As some vehicles advertise their wares, others go sentimental. A tempo in Pune commemorated the owners' kids names on the back doors with swashy matras. In Kolkata, one tempo owner put his four daughters' names (in Bangla, in cheerful yellow vinyl), across the front with a heartfelt blessing on the top. It was route branding meets family pride. Mumbai's black-and-yellow taxis tell two wildly differing tales on their rear windscreen. The names of the locations either indicate how far they're willing to go (Panvel, Karjat, Kasara or other distant suburbs) or how far the driver has come (Bhagwangad, Sinhagad and other fort-towns along the Konkan). In a world trending towards bland uniformity, they remind us of the power of personal expression rolling by everyday....