Lok Sabha elections: Youth leaders breaking free from Khadi fixation

KOCHI: In the age of monogrammed suits and sleeveless padded jackets, white

khadi

shirts worn by politicians, which are starched and stiff and ironed to unruffledness, does not seem to hold the gravitas it once had. Perhaps this could be a reason why the young breed of Congress politicians in Kerala are seen flirting with pastel-coloured shirts made from cotton and linen this election season.

The campaign posters of

Hibi Eden

,

UDF candidate

in

Ernakulam

, show him sporting light beige and green shirts with a rich texture, a marked difference in style from the graffiti of his rivals. The colours exude warmth and the freeze-framed gestures accentuate his confidence and youthfulness, which the Congress campaign strategists highlight as the candidate’s USP. His opponents, P Rajeev of CPM, and Alphons Kannanthanam, does not believe in such charm offensive. While Rajeev can be seen smiling from a cool cottony white-and-pink stripes and a dark beige linen shirt, Kannanthanam’s posters have him sporting a striped suit and a black kurta. Kannanthanam’s poster is text-heavy and does not seem to employ any strategy.

Eden was one of the first Congress politicians in the state to break free from the humdrum of khaddar by experimenting with jeans and tee-shirts and colour shirts in public events and in photo shoots done for media. He seems to have taken a cue from Rajjv Gandhi, who has happily dumped the white kurta-pyjama several times before.

Khadi movement in the state dates back to late 1920s when Mahatma Gandhi deputed Chotalal to spread the message of hand-spinning in Malabar. The first Khadi store was opened in Neeleswaram in 1929 and Congress workers adopted spinning khadi on a mass scale.

“There is a subtle shift in sartorial choice of some young Congress workers. They feel comfortable in wearing clothes that does not make them stand apart and prevents people from freely mingling with them,” says Sherin Verghese, DCC general secretary, Ernakulam. Verghese however said the soft power of khadi, which gives them confidence to walk into police stations and government offices, to take up causes, has not waned.

But several Malayalam films symbolized khadi with corruption and this combined with perception generated by numerous scams affected its sheen. “Another reason is that it is really expensive to maintain,” said Verghese.

Jins Thomas, another Youth Congress activist currently working in Bengaluru, said that laundry bills of some of the Congress leaders would come to thousands every month. If leaders want to appear fresh in a clean, crispy attire they need to carry two to three pairs with them, said Thomas. “Khadi is not that inexpensive and maintaining them – laundry and ironing – could require monthly spends not many can afford,” said Thomas.

Historically, khadi was seen as an expensive material that gets dirtied and crumpled easily and even Mahatma Gandhi had to battle the image through his writings.