He is the muffler man of Delhi. She is the simple cotton sari clad didi of West Bengal with a pair of humble slippers strapped onto her tireless feet. She is the heavyweight bullet-proof Amma of south India, who’s synonymous with her tiny small bindi gracing her wrinkleless fair forehead, crisply ironed colourful elegant saris, neatly draped as a uniform, nicely combed middle-parted hair, her charisma of being a yesteryear screen siren and today’s demigoddess status as a politician. He is the grand old octogenarian patriarch of Dravidian politics who is inseparable from his trademark black shades and the ethnic white dhoti. The erstwhile tiger of Maharashtra is a deceased leader now but his powerful image is an unfading, immortal one in the collective minds. For Late Balasahebji’s rudraksh necklace, saffron overalls, photochromic glasses were an extension of his insuperable identity.
Enough of clues for the above Well your guess is a no-brainer. From chief minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal to Trinamul Congress supremo and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee to AIADMK authority and Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa to the indomitable DMK veteran Karunanidhi and yesteryear Shiv Sena boss Bal Thackeray saab, all have had one thing in common despite differing on their political ideologies and that’s their public image and inimitable signature traits.
Classic examples of Mahatma Gandhi’s round-rimmed glasses, his short, folded up dhoti below a bare torso and the symbolic spinning wheel or the charkha weaving out an indigenous khadi fabric, Netaji’s army fatigues, his dare-devilry to defy the invincible British forces and his dashing leadership qualities, Pandit Nehruji’s Jawahar coat and the iconic red rose sticking out of his chest pocket, Indira Gandhi’s stylish silver streaks, her rebounding character, prompt acumen and sharpness plus above all, her dignified smartness, Rajiv Gandhi’s good-natured soul and his infectious smile are firmly etched on India’s memory since the pre-Independence era. Even his better-half-widow Sonia Gandhi is no mere shadow of his erstwhile eminence.
The country’s President Pranab Mukherjee was once the diplomatic Chanakya of the Congress Party that many present-day detractors are calling a porous outfit. He still continues to play his political innings spanning across decades. Pranabda’s amicable nature, thorough gentlemanlike qualities, a grand political career and his studied eloquence make him a class apart. Not to forget our much revered Prime Minister Narendra Modiji on this block. Fondly addressed as Namo, he is a social media savvy, yoga practitioner and a proponent of cleanliness, all at one go. A man donning many hats one may dub.
The name Sushma Swaraj instantly conjures up a picture of sweet charm, poise and subtle sophistication. Her large maroon self-adhesive bindi and the sleeveless jacket or a blazer over her saris are all-time accoutrements to her overall get-up.
Both P. Chidambaram and Arun Jaitley are conspicuous by their sense of polished propriety and primness alongwith a pair of spectacles firmly resting on their noses.
At state-level, there are quite a few examples to make a note of. Face of the BSP and the campaigner for the welfare of dalits and Other Backward Classes — Mayawati — is one such example. Her salwar suits, boyish haircut and shiny ear-tops are quite conspicuous in the crowd. Akhilesh Yadav’s inclination towards donating laptops to encourage the new-age youth and today’s start-up generation may reflect his youth-oriented developmental programmes and might find a congruent echo in Mamata Banerjee’s cycle distribution to girl students in remote suburbs and district regions.
While the Left Front had chosen the quintessential Bengali bhadralok and culturally rich Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee as the successor of late doyen Marxist patriarch Jyoti Basu, the firebrand lady CM (a first in West Bengal) toppled all party equations and predictions to rout the red brigade overnight in 2011 Assembly polls. If Basu was considered a straight-faced elitist CM for his tight-lipped anglicised expressions, frequent London vacations and his rapport with the upper crust Kolkata, Ms Banerjee serving her second term as CM in the east Indian state is more of a populist face there. She is the symbol of poriborton and a true representative of maa, mati and manush.
White as a colour is traditionally dear to the social activists and our desi politicos. Be it the conventional Gandhi topis or white kurta pajamas as worn by Congress Party workers or other party ministers. Rahul Gandhi, Sachin Pilot or the PM himself parades white as their second skin too often.
Call it a consciously flaunted political accessory or a mere wardrobe style statement, the political fraternity never shies away from displaying its distinguishing signs, because they have an aura of their own. It unequivocally creates a secondary entity of an individual persona.
