Playing games of heads and tales

Congressman Shashi Tharoor, a cricket aficionado, bowled abouncer at the head of Narendra Modi, saying that though the prime minister was not averse to sporting all manner of ‘outlandish’ headgear while he was on his foreign jaunts, he refuses to wear a skull cap, which is associated with a particular minority community. While the Congress leader, known for his googlies, might well exclaim a triumphant ‘How’s hat!’, his jibe is unlikely to leave the prime minister stumped. The opening batsman of the BJP could well reply that the headstrong remark only shows that the Congress is always ready and willing to go cap in hand to appease minorities.

With the 2019 polls looming and all political parties throwing their hats into the ring, we could witness a rise of what might be called competitive cap-italism. The Congress could claim to have a head start by laying copyright claim to the eponymous cap that traditionally has been de rigueur for its top-leadership, Nehru onwards. Not known to hide its light under a bushel, or anything else, the Lotus, and its adherents, shun such adornment, although the prime minister has on occasion been seen to don a turban, a caste status symbol in western India. Such conflicting ploys to get a-head of one’s opponents might well cause a desi avatar of the Prince of Denmark to wonder, “Topi, or not topi, that is the question.”