A costume party on the streets

As a host of running enthusiasts inched towards the finishing line early on Sunday morning, there was not a dreary face in sight at Azad Maidan, since it witnessed a street festival of sorts. The DJ belted out the latest tracks, and participants in costumes were the toast of the moment as marathoners queued up for a selfie with them. This time, a common theme on their mind was demonitisation, with a many dressed to either applaud or condemn the big move. We lend a ear to these fancy pants participants and their stories.

Nitin Dhumal
Nitin, a BMC inspector carried oxygen cylinders as well as a mask over his marathon outfit to represent the rising air pollution levels in the city. “During Diwali last year, Delhi suffered from a horrible air pollution crisis. Mumbai too has poor air quality. We need to do something about this, or each of us will soon have to carry oxygen cylinders,” he explains.

Nitin who has participated in every marathon edition since its inception, admits he keeps the date with the annual event only for the positive vibes that the marathon lends. “Yeh marathon Mumbai ki shaan ban gayi hain.”

Manas Kumar
It is a ritual for Manas to attend the annual marathon and turn up in a costume edition after edition. The Bengaluru resident has kept his date with the city for the past six years. While he admits his costumes have often made him the butt of jokes in his friends’ circle, he doesn’t mind the flak he receives since he wants to “pass on his message to society.” So, this year, he turned up as an out of cash ATM to present demonetisation, which was announced in November 2016. He explains, “People are still confused, and still don’t understand what’s happening. Eventually, it was the common man who got the raw deal. I’m hoping people do benefit from this eventually.” The ATM, made out of cardboard, took him about three days to assemble.

Manas, who went on to become one of the winners of the costume competition, wasn’t surprised with his win.  “I did expect to make it to the top three,” he states as a matter of fact.

Fakhruddin Ismail Sayyed
This 17-year-old college student dressed up as a tribal — an outfit made of leaves to cover his privates — to draw attention to the social groups. He rues at how the groups haven't received attention from the government through the decades. “Why couldn't this black money be used to help adivasis instead?” he questions, adding, “We as citizens of metropolitan cities may be advancing ahead, but they are lagging behind.”

Fakhruddin admits that he was a tad too conscious of his outfit, and is yet to get an approval from his parents on his choice. He explains, “I was a little worried about what people might say. But once I got into this outfit, I received cheerful, kind words. As soon as people came to talk to me about my costume, all my fears were put to rest.”

Poonam and Lalit Bhansali
This Grant Road resident couple worked through the night on their costume, and ended up arriving an hour late for the costume competition. “Our kids haven't seen us dressed like this. It will be a surprise when we turn home,” laughs Poonam. While Poonam wore an anti-drugs, anti smoking chart, her husband Lalit dressed up in a Superman costume with the letter M written in place of the letter S. He went silver haired to resemble his latest role model, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A chart extolled the plus points of demonetisation. “Demonetisation is like amla juice — it is unappetising now, but it will work its wonders in the long run,” he explains, as he admits to being a Modi fan now. Explaining his stance he says, “Nobody attempted to take the step that he has undertaken in the last few months. I think he is the superhero our country needs right now.”