Modi, Nitish make Holi material fly off shelves in Bihar
Patna,March 23: It is a colourful time in Bihar, but politics is not too far from the celebration of colours. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Yadav are in major demand for Holi in the state.
Holi this year brings 'Modi mask' and 'Modi cap' to the fore with 'Nitish pichkari' (water sprinklers or squirters) and 'Lalu pichkari' doing brisk business. The Congress leaders, though, are conspicuous by their absence from the Holi scene -- no Holi materials carry party vice-president Rahul Gandhi's or president Sonia Gandhi's pictures.
'The Modi, Nitish and Lalu material is in great demand in rural market,' shopkeeper Manjit Kumar said.
Going by the mood in the wholesale Holi market in Patna city, Modi and his political rivals Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad are rivals in the market place too.
Shopkeeper Raju Sawarnkar said the colourful Modi cap and Modi mask are the first choice of people, particularly youth and children. But among water sprinklers or squirters, Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad seem to be more in demand.
The masks are selling between Rs.125 and Rs.200, depending on the locality, while the cap is going for up to Rs.80.
According to Abhijit Kumar, a shopkeeper in Kadamkuan area of Patna, people are willing to pay more for a Modi picture on mask than other celebrities.
But
as
are
the
exigencies
of
the
market,
the
leaders
need
not
be
selling
only
made-in-India
product.
Traders
are
pasting
pictures
of
the
leaders
on
water
sprinklers
imported
from
China.
Is
that
going
against
the
make-in-India
campaign?
It's
not
only
the
Congress
leaders
who
are
absent
from
the
marketplace
of
colours.
Former
chief
ministers
Jitan
Ram
Manjhi
and
Rabri
Devi
are
forgotten
too.
In
politics,
flavour
of
the
month
is
what
counts.
In keeping with the spirit of the festival, where jokes and spoofs abound, local political leaders are keeping a tab on which of their leaders is selling more, often linking their popularity with the amount of money earned by the shopkeepers in the run-up to the Holi.
The politicians have not totally overshadowed the celebrities, though.
Bollywood
stars
and
cricket
icons
are
there
too
--
the
usual
ones.
But
the
Indian
Premier
League
T20
has
caught
the
attention
of
the
buyers
too,
with
Sri
Lankan
superstar
Lasith
Malinga's
wig
selling
for
a
premium.
Some
of
the
campaigning
for
'safe
colours'
seemed
to
have
made
a
dent.
Manjoor Alam, selling coloured powder in the market, said people were keen to purchase herbal colours.
'I have seen this happening in the last few years. People are even willing to pay more for the herbal variety,' he added.
IANS