Solar Chandy, Pepper Spray MP and other NaMos.

published on February 24, 2014

In the midst of the Telangana-Seemandhra melee in Parliament on February 13, Vijayawada Congress MP Lagadapati Rajagopal responded with a gesture so fiery that he is now stuck with a new name — ‘Pepper Spray’ Rajagopal. He later apologized to MPs for the “hardship” his action had caused, but the nickname is here to stay. Our politicians may not be good at giving the country a future, but when it comes to giving themselves — and others — nicknames, they do a commendable job.

Nicknames can be funny, even derogatory, but there are also those which extol the virtues of the person. ‘Mahatma’ and ‘Sardar’ are in essence nicknames, but their possessors were so colossal that these titles went on to be regarded as their first names. ‘NaMo’ and ‘RaGa’ bestowed by newspaper sub-editors who get creative because of space crunch do help Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi buttress their brands.

And then there are those thrust upon leaders by their foot soldiers — some have substance, many a lot of hot air. Having been a movie scriptwriter, DMK leader M Karunanidhi may deserve the title ‘Kalaignar’ (artist) but octogenarian AIADMK men calling J Jayalalithaa ‘Amma’ even when she was in her 40s?

The most fun are nicknames regional politicians earn thanks to scams and pet projects. Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy has been fondly called ‘Kunjoonju’ (little child) by his family, friends and some kind foes. Then last year his government was hit by a scam — there were allegations that a solar energy company used women to ensnare his personal staff. Now the CM does not exactly light up when he sees posters that refer to him as ‘Solar’ Chandy.

Former health minister in the Rajiv Gandhi cabinet, S Krishnakumar, was called ‘Nirodh’ Kumar for his enthusiastic family planning campaign. Of course, the fact that he had once been the head of Hindustan Latex lent a certain authenticity to the nickname.

Congress leader and former Kerala chief minister K Karunakaran’s son K Muraleedharan is called ‘Kinginikuttan’ (it means a lovable toddler in Malayalam, but the word is used strictly tongue in cheek here) for more or less the same reason that Rahul Gandhi has been christened ‘Pappu’ by the social media. Kinginikuttan’s origins go back to the early 1990s. There used to be a popular radio satire by that name and it featured a somewhat dull prince named Kinginikuttan. The similarities between the real and imagined figures seemed too close for wags to ignore.

Union minister of state for agriculture KV Thomas is often called ‘Thirutha’ Thomas. For the uninitiated, thirutha is a fish found only in the backwaters of Kochi, the exception being Sonia Gandhi’s kitchen, after the minister has called on madam. AK Antony may find it a hit way below the belt when someone murmurs his nickname, ‘Mundan’. In Malayalam that is the politically incorrect word for a vertically challenged person. His pet name, however, cost a policeman his job. The cop radioed a reckless message as soon as the minister’s convoy passed: “Mundan passed.”

Not all politicians are touchy about their monikers. Vadodara municipal councillor Chandrakant Shrivastav’s supporters are not offended when people call him Bhatthu, a nickname his parents gave him because he ate too much bhaat (rice). Many Gujarat politicians are proud of their nicknames. It brings a smile on Vadodara deputy mayor Shailesh Mehta’s face when people call him ‘Sotta’ (whip) because of his ability to get things done in a jiffy. Local language matters, for if you call someone in Tamil Nadu ‘Sotta’, he is likely to draw a knife — you have just called him a baldy.

Nicknames have the habit of sticking on stubbornly, long after you have moved on to greater glories. PMK leader S Ramadoss’s supporters call him ‘Doctor Ayya’ because he is an MBBS, but those outside his party know him as ‘Maravetti’ (tree chopper). This refers to a time in his early political career when his men fell hundreds of trees along highways during a protest in the 1980s. As atonement, Ramadoss now lives on a farmland with hundreds of species of flora and cultivates an NGO called Pasumai Thayagam (Green Motherland). But the nickname? It refuses to be axed.

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