Baritone PM, clean-shaven Modi and chic Maya!
As the political scene hots up, image consultants feel that leading figures could chisel and prune their image by making themselves more presentable to both the urban and rural masses.
By Avinash Nair, ET Bureau |
AHMEDABAD: Imagine a clean shaven Narendra Modi, a leaner Mayawati or Dr Manmohan Singh with a baritone criss-crossing the length and breath of the country during the campaign trail for the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. As the political scene hots up and parties don their battle gear to capture the voters��� attention, image consultants in the country feel that some of the leading figures in Indian politics could chisel and prune their image by making themselves more presentable to both the urban and rural masses.
Some suggestions: for a pro-industry-FDI-seeking Modi, the beard does not go well with investors who are at home with a ���clean look���. Similarly, Dr Singh could do with a few voice modulation classes and Mayawati must have a more urban look if she has set her eyes on the PM���s chair.
���There are more urban voters today and rural voters are increasingly becoming conscious of their choices. In such times, it is in the politician���s best interest to effectively and efficiently project strengths and values (during the election campaign),��� says Kolkata-based Optimum Image Institute���s Parvana Babaycon, an image consultant affiliated with the AICI (Association of Image Consultants International), a global network of image professionals.
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Some suggestions: for a pro-industry-FDI-seeking Modi, the beard does not go well with investors who are at home with a ���clean look���. Similarly, Dr Singh could do with a few voice modulation classes and Mayawati must have a more urban look if she has set her eyes on the PM���s chair.
���There are more urban voters today and rural voters are increasingly becoming conscious of their choices. In such times, it is in the politician���s best interest to effectively and efficiently project strengths and values (during the election campaign),��� says Kolkata-based Optimum Image Institute���s Parvana Babaycon, an image consultant affiliated with the AICI (Association of Image Consultants International), a global network of image professionals.
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In order to get the best from their electoral campaign, reputed image-makeover experts suggest that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should work on his voice modulation in order to make his speech more powerful and depict his intelligence through the spoken word. ���Prime Minister Manmohan Singh needs to be inspirational in his speeches. Voice is a drawback,��� says Taneea Chhaabria, an image consultant from Mumbai-based Sun Image Inc.
���In the long run, it is more appropriate to concentrate on creating a rapport with the spoken words...the pronunciation, the intonation, the pitch and the rhythm of the speech can denote the dominance, hostility, warmth and anxiousness of the leader,��� says Nisha Singhal of Delhi-based Studio Image.
Her views are echoed by Ms Chhaabria who feels that even Congress party president Sonia Gandhi can improve on her diction before embarking on a string of crucial public speeches before the electorate. Ms Gandhi, who is also trying hard to keep the allies in the UPA coalition together, needs to ���soften��� her appearance, feel consultants. ���The best accessory for Sonia Gandhi could be to have a smile on her face,��� says Sangeeta S Bahl of Gurgaon-based Impact Image Consultants and a certified member of AICI.
Ms Bahl feels that Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi needs to adopt a ���clean-shaven look���. According to experts, being clean shaven, apparently represents honesty and trustworthiness. ���He has the credentials of having put together a model state and he needs to just showcase his agenda. However, he needs a course-correction of his perceived image, as his good has got lost in his communal image,��� says Ms Chhaabria
���A very important tip for male grooming is to trim all facial hair,��� says Chhaabria suggesting the same to Union railways minister Lalu Prasad. ���Lalu Prasad is the only railway minister to have made a great difference to his portfolio. He is an extremely intelligent man, but must not chew pan (while making an appearance among the urbanities),��� she feels.
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Ms Bahl also feels that L K Advani - currently engaged in trying to woo the young voters - ���needs to look powerful���. ���Mr Advani must create an image of being sensitive to the needs of minorities as well,��� says Ms Chhaabria.Download
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