Why Indian Politicians Don’t Wear Suits: Explained
India is a former British colony. But unlike other British colonies, it hasn’t stuck with the suit-and-tie as the dress code in the parliament. But why?
Politicians in the west almost exclusively wear the suit-and-tie while at formal events. Former European colonies have also kept it as a standard until recently. But in India, very few politicians wore suits. Suits were a western concept. And Indians would readily accept a government that dressed like them rather than the people they had just overthrown.
Patriotic principles were the foundation of modern India, and Indian politicians embraced their culture to show patriotism. Suits were too European. So while Businessmen who wanted to look cosmopolitan wore the suit, politicians wanted to look like an average Indian. And so they chose the most common garment of the time- the white kurta.
Politicians immediately after independence wore a mix of Indian and western clothing, wearing the Gandhi cap, kurta, and suit on separate occasions. And this tradition has carried on, which is why Indian politicians don’t wear suits like their counterparts in other countries do.
