Rustic netas seek makeover

The paan chewing, tobacco spitting politician may soon be a fleeting image of the past.The onslaught of the electronic media has opened a new channel in the rural pockets of Maharashtra – image consultants for politicians.

With sound bites acquiring an important dimension – following the advent of live news coverage – the rush for such specialists has intensified. ‘Total grooming’ is the buzz word with the politicos in rural Maharashtra. Though they may be vociferous for the promotion of Marathi, politicians in the rural areas are hiring tutors from the cities to learn the Queen’s language.

Since public relations agencies based in the cities are more keen on acquiring the accounts of prominent politicians, the rural counterparts have found a way out – the private image consultant.

One of the prominent consultants – whose clients span across the State’s districts – is theatre director Swagat Thorat. Using his directorial skills, Thorat has managed to get his clients to ooze sophistication. A majority of the politicians in the rural areas – who have yet to spread their wings to State politics – are signing up with Thorat. No advertisements, just word-of-mouth publicity.

He is the director of the well known Marathi play ‘Swantrayachi Yasogatha’ – a directorial attempt with 88 visually challenged artistes which now finds mention in the Guinness Book of World Records and the Limca Book of Records.

As television coverage of political happenings in rural areas gains a national audience Thorat’s wait-list is getting longer. Elected representatives of civic bodies, zilla parishads and even from the gram panchayats form his client base.

“They come in asking for an image changeover and are willing to go to any lengths to acquire the skills of the city politicians,” revealed Thorat to DNA. Price is not an issue. Though Thorat did not disclose the cost of his package, market talk indicates that it is a sizeable amount.

The ‘image’ seeker has to fill out an exhaustive questionnaire. According to Thorat, this is one of the toughest exercises for the new entrant. “They are not well read. A majority lack communication skills. Many are unable to fill the questionnaire. The makeover package is designed for the individual,” disclosed the 45-year old Thorat.

He captures every movement of his client on a video camera. The same is screened for the client. A comprehensive report on the positive and negative aspects of the politician is prepared. Then he works to minimise them and give the image a cutting edge. “When politicians are invited to poojas they look around for someone to hand them money to keep before the deity. I tell my clients to carry money in their pockets. When people see them putting their own money the negative image of a politician reduces to a certain extent,” pointed out Thorat.

Tobacco and paan chewing are strictly banned at Thorat’s classes. When the client is shown such an image, the impact is tremendous. An increasing number are aggressive and have to be taught to tone down. They are inculcated into the habit of regular reading. Thorat’s resource cell provides them with all the literature that is needed to make the politician’s journey into the world of the sophisticates.