Nayana Motamma, also known as Nayana Jhawar, is the youngest woman MLA serving in the new state assembly of Karnataka, which recently welcomed the Congress party back into power. The 43-year-old is a former corporate lawyer, is Dalit, is the daughter of a senior woman politician, and is from the Mudigere constituency. She is very clear about demarcations between her personal life and public service, and unapologetically so.
When her detractors began circulating images from her personal life, images stolen from her social media accounts, the MLA responded in a calm and firm manner, reportedly saying to the press: “This is something I’ve always been clear about. My personal life is my personal life, and I keep it out (of my political work). I show people that this is how I live… There’s nothing for me to hide.”
The images were circulated the day before the elections, with an obvious intent of derailing Congress’ campaign at that crucial time. The messaging her detractors promoted was that the saris that Ms Motamma wore during the campaign were essentially a decoy and that her preferred choice of attire is only Western wear suitable for activities such as jogging, partying, and swimming.
The messaging is archaic, stuck in the mentality that saris are equated with ideal, acceptable Indian womanhood, and that someone who wears clothing that shows a little more skin is not right for a position of authority. The implication is that she is not who she appears to be except, as she herself affirmed, all she has done is be herself on public platforms, while enjoying a wide selection of wardrobe choices. It is the being herself part that ignited the ire of her political rivals. Her stated politics also affirm a freer and better society and are a departure from the illiberalism and bigotry of the party that has been voted out in Karnataka.
I know rather little about Nayana Motamma, and all politicians must be regarded with a pinch of salt. But her strong attitudes about remaining who she is, not hiding that she is a human being with a life of her own, and embracing different sides of herself as a modern person, all speak of a political ethos that has more in common with well-oiled democracies in other parts of the world. She does not seem like the kind of politician who demands obeisance, and that alone is a big step away from many Indian politicians, both past and present.
In one of the photos that has been shared, she is wearing a strappy top and is looking over her shoulder. She looks like any woman on a night out, ordinary, yet in and of itself is an act of defiance. This is a breath of fresh air. Astute politicians across the world often cultivate relatability strategically, and in this case it seems to come naturally. She is the same person, multidimensional: starched saris, and bindis on the campaign trail, crop tops in clubs. Not someone to look up to as much as someone who is already leading by a simple example: A very feminist and necessary example indeed.
