“A peculiar quality of Indian leaders who claim to represent the average man is that they dress very differently from him. The majority of Indian men today wear shirts and trousers, including a tribal king who lives on top of a hill in Kerala. But political and philosophical figures in India continue to wear costumes from another time..,” wrote novelist Manu Joseph in My Letter from India, New York Times, July 2011.
On quizzing some of the young politicians from Kerala who are making waves for their style statement, they had an entirely different take on why they dress the way they do. Although they are all seen in a uniform well-starched white khadar shirts and white dhotis, from time to time, a few of them have gotten their wardrobe hauled. Some of them have replaced khadi with linen and stiff dhotis with denims. These young guns seem to have won over the masses not just with their smart approach to public issues, but also because of their style statements.
A look at some of the politicians who are conscious of their public appearances. One of the most fashionable amongst these young guns is MLA Hibi Eden. He has had a legion of fan following ever since he stepped into politics during his college days. This young man has defied the white and white dress code his seniors religiously follow even today and created a style statement of his own. When asked about being brand-conscious and how he set out to create a new trend for young and upcoming politicians, he says, “I’m not exactly brand-conscious.
A few years ago, when I was selected as the national president of the NSUI (National Students’ Union of India), I had to frequently travel to North India. It was then I developed the habit of wearing cotton kurta and jeans. A main reason was that our ‘mundu’ and shirt were not suitable for that kind of climate. I usually used to top my kurta with a half jacket to ward off the cold.”
On how the attire helps in bonding with the young crowd he says, “During events which require interaction with youngsters, sometimes they find it difficult to interact with a political figure who walks in wearing a white and white typical attire. But it is different when we dress like one of them. Our dress is also a part of our identity. It shouldn’t look awkward on you. At the same time, what defines a person is the work they do.” Hibi also states that his attempts to dress up differently to public and a few official occasions were met with criticism from seniors. “Yes seniors do comment sometimes,” he says with a smile.
One fine day, Malayalees had their jaw dropped when they saw an image of MLA
V.T. Balram on social media. The image of a fine looking gentleman — which looked like it was straight out of a movie — still remains a huge hit. Balram is yet another public figure who has won over the youth not just at his constituency Thrithala but the entire state with his towering persona and goodwill. Always seen in pleasant and colourful shirts, Balram says he is least brand-conscious.
“Even before I became an MLA, I used to wear colourful khadar shirts. It is the best attire for our climate. I always enjoy dressing up in our traditional mundu and shirt, but then occasionally, I like wearing jeans, pants and t-shirts.” He goes onto say, “I prefer clothes common people can relate to. It would make them easier to gel with us.”
MLA K.S. Sabarinadhan, states that attire does play a role in bonding with the young masses to an extend, “But beyond that today most of the young politicians are much more free with the crowd, unlike the senior generation.” On being brand conscious he says “ I am brand conscious to an extend. 90 percent of my wardrobe is linen, I’ve been wearing linen right from my days in Mumbai. My rule goes like this, 4 to 5 days I wear khadar and the rest of the days I prefer something colourful. I believe that what you wear and how you function should be an extension of your personality.”
