From printed masks to LED symbols, activists spoilt for choice

On the bright side, all campaign materials are plastic-free

While a facemask is seen by many as an impediment to their expressions during interactions, especially for the smiles that are part and parcel of vote canvassing, the mask itself is now a tool for political messaging. Since the recent local body elections, the first polls after the COVID-19 outbreak, masks printed with photographs of candidates and party symbols have been much in demand.

At Screen Point, better known as ‘Kodi kada’, a shop on S.S. Kovil Road in the capital, that sells flags, banners, T-shirts and other political merchandise, masks ordered by candidates from other districts too are stacked up to be delivered.

Much in demand

“These printed masks are much in demand, especially for the workers involved in door-to-door campaigns or those accompanying a particular candidate in rallies,” says Rayan, whose father S. Sulaiman began the election-time business more than two decades ago.

According to the staff at the shop, the business during Assembly or Lok Sabha elections never matches that during the local body elections, where the number of candidates is huge. Most of those candidates come here in person and purchase flags and other material in bulk. During Assembly elections, each party’s local-level committees purchase the material as per funds available to them.

Though this is the first election without veteran Communist leader V.S. Achuthanandan in active campaigning, a white T-shirt with his photograph printed on it gets prominent display in the shop, along with flags and key-chains with images of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. LED lighted party symbols and symbols in the form of balloons are also much in demand among the party workers who want to add colour to their campaigning.

Green protocol

Unlike the situation a few years ago, plastic is not spotted anywhere in the shop and all of the flags, posters and other campaign material are made using cloth as per the green protocol. The cheapest of the flags are priced at ₹15, with prices going up to ₹150. During the conversation, a party worker walks in, asking specifically for a flag to be kept on a vehicle bonnet.

“We get the cloth material printed in bulk from Surat in Gujarat. Some of the stitching work is done in Tamil Nadu. It is not economical for us to purchase the costly equipment for printing just for the elections,” says a staff at the shop.

Other than elections, the demand for the stuff comes mainly during off-season political rallies or political events at the local level. At other times, the shop transforms into one for printing and making identity tags, badges and such material.

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