No graffiti? T-shirts will do the trick

CHENNAI: Trust Indian ingenuity. When the Election Commission banned banners and graffiti in Tamil Nadu, activists started using everything from T-shirts, saris, watches, autorickshaws and SMSes.

The state goes to the polls on May 8. "It's like wearing Team India's T-shirt to a cricket match; the players, in both cases, may not know us, but we relate to them and identify with them," an AIADMK party worker told DNA.

The sudden demand for T-shirts has also put a smile on the faces of garment manufacturers in Tirupur, India's textile capital, who are flooded with orders.

Maheshkumar, a garment manufacturer, says each company used to receive orders of 5,000 to 10,000 pieces during previous elections. "But this year, huge orders have been pouring in," he says.

At DMK's public meeting, one could see scores of women party workers displaying their loyalties literally on their sleeves, or should we say pallu. Senthamarai, one of the workers, was draped in a yellow sari bordered with bands of red and black through the length of the saree, with the 'rising sun' symbol printed along the border. "I have three such sarees,"she says.

At Pondy Bazaar, stalls sell watches with the dial sporting faces of Jayalalithaa, Karunanidhi and his son Stalin.

Saravanan, a vendor says, "These watches are a rage. Their low prices (prices vary from Rs 20 to 50) make them ideal for a party fanatic. Many buy them in bulk and distribute them to their friends or other party workers."

Clearly, necessity is the mother of innovation here.