In diplomacy, sartorial cues are no less important than the spoken word

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bundi waistcoats — they can hardly be called Nehru jackets given the prevailing political, if not fashion, mood — may soon become important bellwether indicators in this age of minimal access, maximum governance. For instance, that he attended the historic Mars Orbiter Mission event this Wednesday clad in the couleur du jour, red, can probably be parsed as proof of his confidence in the mangalmay success of the project. Perhaps a close perusal of his choice of bundis in the past 100-odd days will reveal more such links between the past 100 days’ happenings and the Prime Minister’s multifarious gilets such as his clever invasion of the sartorial integrity of China by making visiting President Xi Jinping wear an Indian bundi, albeit with a mandarin collar.

If the Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif appears at the UN General Assembly in this trademark subcontinental vest again, instead of his current preference for western suits, it could mean a rapprochement on the India-Pakistan front, particularly if the Indian PM’s bundi turns out to be in a complementary shade. Having already nominated an Indian-American as US ambassador to India, experts should be on the lookout for a similar sartorial outreach from President Barack Obama too, when the PM arrives in Washington DC.