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Cithara Paul
Cithara Paul

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When Che Guevara becomes a brand

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In a state where there are countless namesakes of Latin revolutionary Che Guevara, can Che tees and Che kurthas be that far behind? Che shirts, headbands and even hand towels are in huge demand in the state, one of the last red bastions in the country.

The demand for Che items were at its peak last week (his birthday was on Thursday, June 14).  

"Che has always been a hit with youngsters. But last week, we got unprecedented orders as college students decided to celebrate his birthday. Many wore Che tees and hand-bands that day," said Pradeepan, one of the leading distributor of Che brands in the state.

Pradeepan, who is a member of Kottayam local committee of the CPI(M), says the sale of Che merchandise normally registers a spike during party functions and conferences. According to him, many party members were involved in designing and distributing Che tee-shirts which are sold at Rs 250.

"The party is not directly involved, but many of my aides are party members," he said.

According to Anand Das, another dealer of Che shirts, youth—cutting across political lines—like Che. "Many might not even know who Che was. Yet, they wear tops with Che's bearded face on it. It is like Che has become a fashion icon."

According to him, he chanced upon the idea of selling Che shirts after a visit to Bengaluru. "I saw many guys who have not even heard of the Bolivian hero wear Che tops. Perhaps it was the rebelliousness associated with Che that makes him a hero among the youth. Then the idea struck me. I was sure that it would sell like hot cakes in a highly politicised state like Kerala."

And he was right.

In fact, political dress code is quite common in Kerala, especially in northern districts of Kannur and Kasargode, where bloody strifes between CPI(M) and BJP are commonplace.

The CPM had earlier given an unofficial direction to its cadre to stop wearing saffron dhoti—a very common dress among the working class. Instead, the comrades had increasingly taken to wearing red dhotis to distinguish themselves from the RSS cadre. The red dhoti was initially worn during party congress and other functions. But now the fad has caught on, and it is even seen in places like Coimbatore and Tirupur where the party is strong.

No wonder that brand Che has caught on like wildfire in this CPI(M)-ruled state.

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