Bapu's headgear is again a symbol of dissatisfaction and desire for change

AHMEDABAD: The Gandhi topi (cap) has got a new lease of life after the emergence of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on the national political scene. The cap first became a popular headgear for Indians almost 100 years ago when Mahatma Gandhi came to the city in February 1915 to establish his first ashram.

He made wearing of the Gandhi cap (made of Khadi) popular as a symbol of satyagraha, sacrifice and national pride. This soon became a kind of tradition in the city and continued among Amdavadis till the mid-1980s, i.e., for nearly two generations after Independence.

But after the mid-1980s, the Gandhi cap seems to have gone out of fashion till AAP made it a political symbol once again. The recent recruitment drive by the party has provided the much-needed impetus to a nearly forgotten headgear that used to be intrinsic to Amdavadi culture ever since Gandhiji made it a symbol of freedom in 1915.

Last year in December alone, AAP distributed 25,000 caps among its new members. The areas where they were distributed in large numbers include Naranpura, Navrangpura, Khokhra, Vastral, Bapunagar and Memnagar where people had come to the AAP office to become members. In January this year, the party has placed orders for 55,000 caps.

Sukhdev Patel, state convenor of AAP Gujarat, says that the Gandhi topi is a symbol of Swaraj or 'decentralized governance'. "The Gandhi topi is a symbol of Swaraj and our party too is committed to bringing Swaraj back," Patel said.

He further said that the topi made of synthetic material is easy to wash, use and is easy on the pocket too. It is currently being purchased from New Delhi, he said. "The cap is sourced from Delhi at Rs 3.10 per topi. We are trying to find vendors here who can provide us Aam Admi caps at competitive rates," said Patel.

"We have requested our members to just wear our caps during door-to-door canvassing activities," said a senior AAP member," said Harshil Nayak, spokesperson for AAP's Gujarat unit.