For winter defence, Antony turns to friends & a tailor

Antony, or AK as he’s referred to by admirers, has only had khadi dhotis and shirts in his wardrobe. During a visit to Moscow in 1974, he was in true Kerala attire.

“As a backup though, I had carried a suit borrowed from the late P M Sayeed,” Antony told The Indian Express. Sayeed came to Antony’s rescue yet again in 1984 when Antony had to visit Paris as part of a Congress delegation. “Sayeed’s clothes used to fit me perfect. Now, Ramesh and I have exactly the same fit,” Antony says.

“I wear the same Kerala dress of mundu and shirt in Delhi. The problem is only when I travel,” he said, explaining why he had some extra clothes stitched.

During his cruise on the INS Viraat early this month — his first — he was advised that the mundu would not hold against strong sea winds. Antony agreed to change and even went down to the engine room of the warship.

Antony has always been known for his asceticism, right from his days as a student leader who earned a living as an insurance agent.

He rose in politics to become chief minister of Kerala thrice. He was Union minister twice, the last time in 1993-94.

He gave up positions almost as easily as he gained them and his detachment became his biggest source of power. Presently, he is member of all important cabinet committees, of the Congress core committee, and chairman of the Congress disciplinary committee.