‘Baby Mufflerman’ inspires many doppelgangers
NEW DELHI: The images of a toddler sporting a fake moustache, spectacles, muffler and a Gandhi cap —a more than passing likeness of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal—at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) office in central Delhi flooded the Internet on February 11, when the party was re-elected to power with a majority of 62 out of 70 seats. On Sunday, they inspired more such ‘mini Kejriwals’ at Ramlila Maidan during chief minister Kejriwal’s swearing-in ceremony.
Several children, sporting a similar look, were among the gathering along with their relatives.
“It is a big day for us all. Our children wanted to be part of the event dressed like Kejriwal,” Wazir Mirza, a resident of Jama Masjid, said. Mirza has two sons and his brother Abdul has three.
All of them are aged between two and five years.
On Sunday, all five children were present at Ramlila Maidan—all dressed like chief minister Kejriwal.
Among others who brought their children to the ceremony dressed like Kejriwal were Ruksana Parvin, Anmol Kumar,
Zaid Hussain, and Sanjeev Jha—they had come from thefar-flung neighbourhoods of Sangam Vihar, Jaffrabad and Rohini.
Parvin, as she posed for and entertained requests for photos from other visitors, said she had seen the photos of the February 11 event on television and decided to dress up her child the same way.
On February 11, images of one-year-old Avyaan Tomar had flooded social media with captions such as “Baby Kejriwal” and “mufflerman”, a term that referenced the chief minister’s preference for the winter accessory.
Tomar and his family had to return home without meeting Kejriwal. But they were later sent a special invite to the swearing-in ceremony by the party.
On Sunday, Tomar too was spotted at the venue with his parents. Several AAP leaders, supporters, and visitors clicked selfies with the toddler. At the end of the ceremony, he was seen on his father’s lap— exhausted and sleepy.