Shaktiman, a medium-capacity truck that was used by the Indian defence forces from 1959 to 1996 enjoys a new lease of life as a multipurpose off-road truck in the hilly Ukhrul and Kamjong districts of Manipur.
“A Shaktiman will never rust as long as the owner is alive,” remarked Ramshan, starting up his Shaktiman truck as he prepared to return to the town with a load of stones from a far-flung quarry.
Closing in on almost a decade as a Shaktiman driver, Ramshan speaks from experience and the truck he drives has also recently undergone another makeover. This time, a new paint job was to prevent excessive rust and give the truck a fresher look.
Although it is hard to ascertain the exact year his Shaktiman truck was manufactured in, it has gone through various hands and owners in its lifetime. And like all the other Shaktiman vehicles plying in Ukhrul town, the truck had its origins at Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh.
From 1956 to 1996, Vehicle Factory Jabalpur (VFJ) manufactured over 75,000 units of Shaktiman trucks for the Indian defence forces. The truck was used as a logistics vehicle by them and was quite popular for its versatility and ability to tackle different terrains across the country. It was eventually replaced by the Ashok Leyland Stallion for its better reliability and performance in the late 1990s.
Also Read: A Manipur village dares to dream, one Kachai lemon at a time
With its race with the Armed Forces run, most of the Shaktiman trucks were auctioned off (even before 1996). This was supposedly the predetermined end to their life cycle. However, they weren’t about to go out with a whimper. The auction, in essence, marked the start of a new life for the Shaktiman trucks. A new life far away from the bustling cities of Delhi and Kolkata where they were auctioned off.
The first of the auctioned-off vehicles arrived in Ukhrul during the mid-1980s before it became a sensation in the early 1990s. This influx was fuelled by the Red Super Fanta timber trade in the then Ukhrul district (Ukhrul and Kamjong districts now) which relied on the competence of Shaktiman trucks in traversing difficult unpaved roads.
And although the timber trade ran its course in the following decade, the new dawn of the Shaktiman had only just begun. The trucks soon became indispensable to the locals, thanks to the pathetic conditions of the roads in the district. Even to this day, connectivity by road to villages remains a major issue and during the rainy seasons the majority of the road network in the two districts (Ukhrul and Kamjong) becomes a treacherous muddy slush only Shaktimans can traverse.
As such, despite a plethora of off-road mini trucks coming into the market, none has been deemed worthy to fully replace the Shaktiman yet. The locals continue to be heavily dependent on Shaktimans to transport commodities such as rice, firewood, stones and sand. The reliance on Shaktimans is so that “a trip of Shaktiman” is considered a unit of measurement in daily discourse.
The most intriguing aspect of the Shaktiman trucks is its longevity and how it has managed to sustain itself for so long despite JVF stopping production in 1996 and spare parts being difficult to scour.
Here, Lucky Zimik, an auto body technician from Ukhrul, who specialises in modifying and renovating the Shaktiman body and chassis, has a big role to play.
Also Read: 100-yr-old shawls to WW-II objects, Manipur woman preserves relics
“The Shaktimans brought to our workshop come in different conditions. Some are more beat up than the others, we try to give them a new life by the time they leave the workshop,” Zimik said, working on a Shaktiman that was getting a whole new body.
Another important factor in the longevity of these trucks is the drivers who have become urban legends for the fearlessness with which they tackle treacherous road conditions and their ingenuity and resourcefulness in procuring spare parts to keep the trucks running despite multiple breakdowns due to the age of the trucks.
Presently, Ramshan’s truck comes to a halt by a small stream. His handyman quickly gets down, fetches water from the stream in a jerry can, and pours the water into the radiator. There is no cap nor any coolant in the radiator. Ramshan steps on the accelerator pedal and a spray of mist rises from the radiator. The handyman pours in another jerry can of water and the engine now idles as the water permeates through the radiator and the engine cools down.
Ramshan then steps down, points out a couple of axle nuts that have come loose, and asks his handyman to tighten them. The repair takes a few minutes and the truck hits the muddied road again.
“As long as there is no damage to the engine, any Shaktiman driver knows how to make quick repairs on the truck to keep it moving,” Ramchan said nonchalantly, shifting gears and stepping on the accelerator pedal. The stone-loaded truck revs through the muddy road at a slow pace, drawing fuel from a plastic jerry can placed next to the gear shift lever.
The turtle-paced speed of the truck resembles the pace of development in the Ukhrul and Kamjong districts and the deplorable condition of the road affirms that the reign of the off-road king will continue for a long while still.
Also Read: Mount Wuya Kachui – Manipur’s mystical hillock of flowers
The lead image on top shows a Shaktiman truck, a medium-capacity vehicle used by the Indian defence forces, which is a popular choice to traverse the hilly roads of Manipur today. (Photo by Worngachan A Shatsang)
Worngachan A Shatsang is a freelance writer based in Ukhrul, Manipur. He was a Village Square Fellow in 2022.
