Jawaharlal Nehru University student Kanhaiya Kumar, whose call for azadi became a buzzword for freedom from everything oppressive, is on his way to becoming a brand in his own right, appropriated by politicos, a rap singer and even a travel website.
This mainstreaming of a student union leader has also set off questions about whether this is any indication of a wider acceptance of Mr. Kanhaiya, from the All India Students Federation of the Communist Party of India.
Yatra.com , a website that promises hassle-free travel anywhere around the world with its services, now carries a spoof featuring a Kanhaiya look-alike, performed in an accent identifiable with that of a native of Bihar, demanding a window seat in a plane. Failing to secure one, he launches into the azadi chant, signalling his “freedom” to be seated wherever he wants. Soon, others join him.
The 1.15-minute long commercial has caught the attention of social media. However, before the website cashed in on the spoof, music composer Sidharth Sharma spun azadi into a rap number.
“As a musician, sometimes I find rhythm in the sound of an autorickshaw. I found rhythm in his speech and I connected with this small clip in my song that talked about certain types of azadi ,” Mr. Sharma said, however, adding that there was not enough data to point to a middle-class acceptance of the young man from JNU.
“If it does, it means the middle-class agrees with him and he probably is becoming their voice,” Mr. Sharma said.
For the AAP government in Delhi, Mr. Kanhaiya’s slogan means freedom from inflationary electricity and water bills — courtesy an amnesty scheme the government has floated. It is also a way of targeting the BJP, over rising prices.
Sources in the Arvind Kejriwal government point to the tweet sent out by the Chief Minister after Mr. Kanhaiya’s JNU speech that sparked the idea to cash in on ‘azadi’. @ArvindKejriwal tweeted “Heard Kanhaiya’s speech many times. Amazing clarity of thought expressed wonderfully. He said wat most people have been feeling. God bless him”.
Chief Marketing Officer of Yatra.com Vikrant Mudaliar says, “We believe in ‘Creating Happy Travellers’ and one of the methods we follow is the freedom to plan your travel and customise it the way it suits a particular person. Taking a cue from there, we decided to go ahead with the ‘azadi’ angle. Our focus in the ad is to showcase the new product in a humorous and fun manner, something that will stay with you even after the ad finishes.”
According to the website, the ad is currently trending on Facebook and other social media platforms.
Marketing professional Santosh Desai says the near-saturation coverage of Mr. Kanhaiya by news channels ensured that the news went beyond a single news cycle, perhaps, leading to what is called a popular cultural phenomenon.
However, Mr. Desai adds: “A left-wing student leader becoming currency is a bit of a joke in today’s context.”
Academic Apoorvanand says it is the liberal appeal of Mr. Kanhaiya’s message, which is actually free from ideological bias, that appears to have caught everyone’s attention, from the media to marketing professionals.
