For the majority of the tenure of independent India, the phrase “common man” evoked only one image for most Indians — a bespectacled dhoti-and-plaid-coat-clad old man with a startled expression conveying shock at the state of the new republic. The image emerged from cartoonist R.K. Lakshman’s pencil.
In the past decade or so, the common man has found a new icon in the form of Arvind Kejriwal, the raison d’etre of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) or the Common Man’s Party.
The two — the image and the man — have several similarities. At a superficial level they look alike. Mr. Kejriwal, with his short stature, dressed in loose shirts and ill-fitting trousers, carrying around a battle-weary expression, is the average Indian man. And much like Lakshman’s common man, he established himself in the nation’s conscience as an anti-corruption crusader. The similarities end here, however. Lakshman’s image was that of a mute spectator, almost a fence-sitter who ruminates over the ills of the nation. In sharp contrast, Mr. Kejriwal emerged as an insurrectionist, who wanted to bring down the existing political system to build it anew.
