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If Diego Maradona wore a mundu or veshti (Kerala dhoti) on Wednesday, it was Sreesanth’s turn to slip into a more traditional Malayali outfit on Thursday. Bengal need not tie itself up in knots. Help is close at hand
MARADONA IN MUNDU
The football legend entertained a huge crowd at Kannur in northern Kerala on Wednesday when he reached the southern state to promote a jewellery showroom. He also wrapped himself in a mundu for a commercial shoot. (PTI picture)
MULTI-ARMED SREE
Cricketer Sreesanth went one up the next day, padding himself up in the costume of Krishnanattam, a devotional art form, at Guruvayur temple in Kerala. Sree, battling fitness issues, did not perform but he offered prayers. Devotees believe prayers in the costume bring good fortune and fame. (PTI picture top right)
ASK MK
Bengal need not feel left out. Governor M.K. Narayanan is well qualified to speak authoritatively on the mundu as well as Guruvayur. The governor is seen in Calcutta once in a while in the Kerala veshti (a formal mundu with a border). He has also offered prayers at the Guruvayur temple on more than one occasion, though no one could recall if he was ever in a costume similar to that of the cricketer.
If anyone is wondering why the loose end of Maradona’s veshti is on his left and that of Narayanan is on his right, it is a testimony to the cultural richness of the south. Usually, Muslims in Kerala and Tamilians wear the attire pointed towards the left. Hindus in Kerala wrap it the other way round. Kannur, where Maradona was present, has a considerable number of minorities and it is possible that a member from the community helped him wear the unfamiliar attire.
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