Clothes that make politicians and the nation

THE PARED-BACK LOOK SOME SPORT APPEALS TO A PUBLIC TIRED OF A PRIVILEGED CLASS

A rvind Kejriwal, leader of India’s fledgling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and recent victor of New Delhi’s local election, has an unremarkable wardrobe — his inconspicuous uniform usually consists of a simple shirt and trousers.

Power dressing may be popular in the west, where the colour of a politician’s tie can make headlines. But many in India, such as Kejriwal, prefer a paredback look. It appeals to a public tired of privilege and bribery.

This isn’t an exclusively Indian phenomenon, of course. Members of the Economic Freedom Fighters, the upstart South African opposition party, wear crimson overalls and hard hats in parliament to emphasise their working-class connections. When he visited Downing Street this month to discuss his country’s financial woes, Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis wore a black leather coat somewhere between nightclub bouncer and Greased Lightning.

In India, while many trends are set by Bollywood bling, politicians are expected to be modest in their dress. Prime minister Narendra Modi managed to pull off a great piece of damage control by raising Rs43 million (Dh2.5 million) for charity by auctioning a plush monogrammed suit that had attracted allegations of extravagance and megalomania.

Model behaviour

Beyond this fashion faux pas, however, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader is known to have the model wardrobe. Modi tailors his outfit for his audience. When he was travelling around the country last year, campaigning for the top job, his trademark was a simple short-sleeved kurta, a long tunic. Since coming into office he has shown off some more flamboyant items including rainbow turbans and colourful pocket squares.

“What you see with Modi is that he’s wearing Indian clothes with a lot of pride,” says Bandana Tewari, fashion features director at Vogue India. “He is being very unapologetically Indian.”

The obvious exception to the Indian dress convention was the country’s first law minister, Bhimrao Ambedkar (18911956), who wore a western suit to indicate his belief in a modern India, and as part of his campaign against the caste system. And while Kejriwal may not choose traditional Indian clothes, he usually sports a white “Gandhi hat”, which has become a symbol for his anticorruption party.

Nira Wickramasinghe, a professor at Leiden University, says: “It’s natural in South Asian countries that were under colonial rule that, once they became independent, dress became a symbolic way of showing their break away from westernisation.”

The country’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, lent his name to the tailored Nehru jacket. A former finance minister, Palaniappan Chidambaram, chose a South Indian lungi (a sarong-style garment) with crisp white shirts. And Sonia Gandhi, the Congress party leader, is often seen in saris made from khadi, a hand-spun Indian cloth that Mahatma Gandhi urged people to wear as a symbol of national self-reliance. The convention is now so well recognised that if a business leader swaps western dress for Indian attire — which for men simply involves losing a collar here and a tie there — rumours of political ambition begin to swirl.

Jayant Sinha, minister of state for finance, is a good example, having traded in suits for mandarin-collared waistcoats as he made the transition from the corporate world to the finance ministry in New Delhi.

Though India looks for nationalism and modesty in the wardrobes of politicians, the public doesn’t adhere to those standards. Business leaders and industrialists are generally seen in western clothing, with the exception of the wedding and festival season, when they sport traditional dress — the more extravagant the better.

As long as western fashion represents modernity and wealth in India, the offices of the nation’s financial capital in Mumbai will be filled with suits — leaving the politicians in kurtas and saris to congregate in Delhi.

❝ It’s natural in South Asian countries that were under colonial rule that, once they became independent, dress became a symbolic way of showing their break away from westernisation. Nira Wickramasinghe |

Professor

AP Everyday outfit Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal addresses an election campaign rally in New Delhi. The politician is not a fan of powerdressing, choosing instead to wear inconspicuous pant-shirt combinations.

Rex Features Suit up President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Modi has, since coming into office, sported some flamboyant clothing.

Rex Features Home-grown Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru in 1942. The father of the nation urged people to wear khadi, a hand-spun Indian cloth, as a symbol of national self-reliance.

Everything for progress Dr Ambedkar, Founder and Chairman of the People’s Education Society, in 1946. He wore western fashions to show his belief in a modern India and as a pledge against the caste system.