AN article published … [recently] … revealed how Indian businesses … are marketing prime minister-elect Narendra Modi’s image to boost sales. Sarees carrying his pictures have already flooded the market. …We witnessed a similar situation here in 1994, when … Chandrika Band­ara­naike Kumaratunga entered the parliamentary election. … Her propaganda (marketing?) team did a wonderful job. … After her impressive win, Chandrika sarees and Chandrika bangles were sold. …

President Mahinda Rajapaksa is a leader who markets himself. He has it down to a fine art and doesn’t need anyone else to do it for him. He has apparently taken a leaf out of [the book of] the late president Ranasinghe Premadasa, who boosted his image on his own very successfully. …

There is a limit to image building, though. A leader has to take care of his or her own image after being ensconced in power. … In the case of … Modi, if he fails to honour his election pledges, there is the possibility of sarees being printed with Rahul Gandhi’s picture on them in a few years. — (May 19)

Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2014