Son of Shahid Mehmood of Shahid Steel Works, Shoaib Shahid has been following in is father’s footsteps. Making ‘chamakpatti’ his profession was not just matter of family profession but also his passion and interest. ‘A word of appreciation is more important to me than the compensation’ he says.
Shoaib feels that ‘chamakpatti’ has evolved over time and has been positively influenced by the advent of technology. ‘The new detailed work was not possible in the previous years. It has now become possible due to the availability of new materials like variety of reflective stickers and computer based design which allows any type of design to be generated. It is then upon the skill of the artist to execute the design.”
Though ‘chamkpatti’ has been applied to various objects, the mainstay of Shahid Steel Works is still trucks and means of transportation. They have applied their art on horse drawn carriages seen on the Karachi streets, CNG rickshaws and have also worked on the Quetta Truck Project. Their work also adorns the interior of Truck Adda a Dubai based restaurant. Shahid Steel Works has also participated in the New Islamabad International Airport project.
