Bihar MLAs walk the ramp for khadi

PATNA: Perhaps taking a cue from Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje, who had created quite a stir in political circles by walking the ramp for Khadi promotion, 10 young MLAs of Bihar, cutting across party lines, sashayed down the ramp in Patna ealier this week, to promote Khadi among the GenNext.

Although the event, first of its kind in Bihar, was organised on the Martyrs Day (Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination) and the avowed aim of the fashion show as widely publicised by the organisers (Renuka Art) was to encourage the use of Khadi amongst youth as was Gandhi’s dream, it had the tinge of the glamour as well. The platform was used to exhibit men’s western wear.

The show began with the new age netas (Babalog Vidhayak) dressed in bright colourful Khadi kurta-pyjamas of different hues and a non-gandhian angvastra hanging on their shoulders, walking the ramp.

The remix of Gandhian devotional song ‘Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram’ was being played on the occasion much to the discomfort of the chief guest — Bihar’s agriculture minister Narendra Singh. Even though the minister’s son Abhay was also one of the cat-walking MLAs, he minced no words in criticising the fashion show in the name of Bapu.

“Gandhiji’s khadi can not be promoted in this manner,” the minister said in his inaugural speech and warned the people from being mislead by ‘asli’ and ‘naqli’ khadi. But the thunderous applause from the audience and the whistles and cat calls made by them as soon as the MLAs started walking the ramp isolated the minister in the crowd.

For nearly 30 minutes, the young legislators made the ramp their own, armed as they were with prior rehearsals under the guidance of some professional models. They looked quite comfortable in their new role. After the Indian wear, they also sashayed down the ramp in denims and khadi shirts. And the response was tremendous.

The younger sister of Nitin Navin, a first time MLA (BJP) from Patna west was excited to see her brother perform on the ramp. “Bhaiyya could have been a big hit in this field as well,” she gushed before the media persons.

The mother of Prem Ranjan Patel, also a first-time MLA from Suyagarha, was also elated to see her son walking on the ramp for the first time. “My feelings for things swadeshi has further deepened,” she said.

A majority of the MLAs were from the NDA (BJP and JD(U)), but other political parties like the LJP and RJD and independents also participated.