Theorising Kejriwal's Muffler

Arvind Kejriwal is always seen sporting a muffler. Even when he was formally taking over as the chief minister of Delhi, his trademark muffler was seen hanging on the coveted chair. I wonder if this depicts a sense of strong determination and will power, without caring about what others may think or make out of it.

Courtesy: Hindustan Times

Generally, politicians are used to pulling out their best assets in the wardrobe while taking over positions of pride and power. For Kejriwal, however, taking over as the Delhi chief minister apparently made no difference, and he was sporting the same attire as he did on any other day.

One might argue that it was a well choreographed move to demonstrate that he was still an 'aam aadmi' or the proverbial ordinary man. A subtle analysis, based on a different context and a separate set of parameters, may lead to a different conclusion.

People generally tend to avoid using mufflers or monkey caps (also known as balaclava) on the presumption that they tend to infuse a sense of image to the user which is construed as not so smart (or unsmart in common parlance). Since most of us are interested in showing and seeing ourselves in good and smart light, we tend avoid attires which don't do so.

There is a general feeling that those who use muffler or monkey caps are either elderly or more concerned about their health or are risk-averse or are not (so much) bothered about worldly style. The flamboyance that is synonymous to charisma and is very important in politics in a country like India, doesn't go very well with mufflers, especially if it is worn in the style that Kejriwal does. But he is neither elderly, nor risk averse or too concerned about his health. In fact, very few people are as risk-prone and less concerned about himself as Kejriwal.

So the obvious conclusion is that Kejriwal is strong on determination and is least bothered about what others may think or make out of him. Probably, this flows from his Haryanvi genealogy. Kejriwal is from Siwani in Haryana. I am not sure whether he is a Jat, but Jats are credited with dogged determination, with a clear sense of purpose. This might be the reason behind him getting into the IIT, one of the premier institutes in India or the Indian Revenue Service. No wonder, Kejriwal left a coveted job to venture out in a life of uncertainty and risk

Tirthankar Bandyopadhyay is a journalist and media consultant. 
He can be contacted at tirthankarb@hotmail.com 
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