Leader lording over the masses from hoardings
The larger-than-life cut-outs and hoardings of political leaders are a sign of their penchant for profile-raising and personal aggrandisement
The central theme of the 2014 Tamil-language action-drama, Madras, was the wall of a building on which two rival political parties had staked claim, to paint the portraits of their legendary leaders. In the gore that ensues, four are killed and several others injured. The much-acclaimed film ended with the building becoming a school and the theme of the murals on its walls changing from politics to education.
The film was a brilliant exposé of the malicious power games politicians play -- in this case, to claim a wall for propaganda. But it was also an exploration of the penchant for profile-raising and personal aggrandisement, a Tamil film industry archetype ever since cinema and politics in Tamil Nadu became infused with each other. Five chief ministers (CMs) — CN Annadurai, MG Ramachandran, M Karunanidhi, J Jayalalithaa and Janaki Ramachandran (brief tenure) — had links with the world of movies. They understood the power of cinema and exploited it for cultivating their public image through giant cut-outs, hoardings and banners that once cluttered walls, skylines and crossroads. Over the years, communities and families started using billboards to publicise weddings, family functions, birth and death anniversaries of caste leaders.
The students at Yadava College in Madurai told me in 2008, “What more can we ask for when we have gods (the city is home to the Meenakshi Amman temple) to bless and demigods to entertain us? Why should there be such a hue and cry over our cult culture? We have had film-star CMs who rolled out imaginative plans for development.”
Tamil Nadu’s hoarding culture first crossed over to Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and, later, reached northern India, where it was used for political messaging/point-scoring and, in the process, building personality cults. Former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, in January 2022, advised officials to put up pictures of only BR Ambedkar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh in government offices and not of any politicians including the CM. He had missed naming the Father of the Nation.
Two decades before that, Rajnath Singh, as Uttar Pradesh (UP) CM had ordered removal of his pictures from government offices. Singh, when he assumed office as the defence minister, directed officials to remove his portraits from government offices, given he saw this as self-aggrandisement. Such stances, of course, did not set a precedent; state and central leaders love claiming credit for successful schemes through hoardings, banners, and even pictures on ration-kits.
Long-time Prayagraj (previously called Allahabad) residents recall how they first spotted big hoardings after Amitabh Bachchan entered politics. He landed in the city to contest the 1984 Lok Sabha polls against Janata heavyweight HN Bahuguna. He defeated the former UP CM by over 1.80 lakh votes. The hoarding culture has become more pronounced in the state since.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati was livid when she found portraits of her smiling plastered all over the state capital. She summoned the officer concerned and ordered that the posters be replaced by ones showing her looking serious as she wanted to be seen as an ‘iron lady’. The officers were rattled, as in those days, portraits were hand-painted and reproduced on posters. The officer concerned had landed an artist with great difficulty. Replacement was not possible overnight.
The other hoardings during the BSP government’s time were often filled with text outlining government’s schemes and achievements, which Mayawati believed the voters would read. To the surprise of many, they did.
The hoardings erected during the Samajwadi Party (SP)’s time in office often gave a clear message about its achievements and the party’s political agenda. During the family feud over succession, hoardings were used to dispel doubts about Akhilesh’s relationship with his father Mulayam Singh Yadav. They were also used to clear the air on the alliance with the Congress. Big banners were used to counter the BJP’s “batoge to katoge” slogan with the SP’s own catchphrases. The party liberally used pictures of several leaders on hoardings. The BJP has clear norms for government as well as party hoardings. The size of the pictures spells out the hierarchy and agenda. Significantly, despite the court rulings and availability of digital space, the penchant for big hoardings is growing.
Besides the recent high court orders in Tamil Nadu and Mumbai, where hoardings have led to accidents and even deaths, the Supreme Court in 2015 had barred ruling parties from publishing photographs of their leaders in government-funded advertisements except for the president, prime minister and the chief justice, and departed leaders. Several states filed revision petitions. The apex court then allowed the use of photographs of CMs, governors and ministers.
Much has happened since then. While digital imaging has eased the task of artists, shifting publicity campaigns from the street to digital spaces will help check visual pollution and risk to lives.
Sunita Aron is a consulting editor with the HT based in Lucknow. The views expressed are personal
