Half-jacket, is it Nehru or Modi?

The half-jacket that came to be associated with the first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru has been taken over by the present Prime Minister Narendra Modi long ago to the extent that people don't remember the former's name associated with it.

However, a stall on Ambedkar Veedhi's Open Street Festival had displayed both the names for the same style jackets with 'Nehru Jacket, a Make in India initiative' displayed at the forefront, pushing behind a smaller board advertising 'Modi Jacket'.

Sanjay Asrani, the owner of the stall, explained the reasoning: "The state government has organised the event and given us space. I want to be neutral and do not want to be seen preferring one leader's image over the other. I have put Nehru's name in front so that prominent people from the government would not miss it."

The business tactic of attracting fans of both leaders, who are poles apart, was not noticed by many except a few who did not mind the branding as long as they liked the jacket.

Good to wear

"Frankly, the jacket has caught the attention of youngsters after Modi made it popular. Both the V-neck and closed neck varieties are selling well. People associate Modi to both of them though it was Nehru who popularised them first," he said.

Asrani noted that it doesn't matter whose name is tagged to the jacket. "It's a good wear that brings together a sense of both formal with ethnic wear. Our focus is on selling good jackets regardless of who brought the brand value. People will choose what they like," he said.