Mayor’s jamadar gets lost glory back, after 50 years

According to the story that has since passed into legend in the BMC’s history, the mayor of London had come to Bombay on an official visit in the late forties. Anxious to impress the dignatory, the mayor of Bombay had turned up at the docks to receive his guest, his jamadar, dressed in barabandi angarkha, in tow. Having never met his host before, the mayor of London offered him a warm embrace after walking ashore. But it took the mayor of Bombay a while to live down the excrutiating embarassment that followed: his jamadar‘s grand attire had tricked his foreign guest into mistaking him for his host!

Not surprisingly, the barabandi angavastra went into the closet, during the tenure of Mayor S K Patil in 1950, even though the jamadars of other mayors in the state continued to sport the grand outfit.

Naturally, Rangarao Kamble couldn’t stop beaming today, after breaking with a 50-year tradition on the eve of Independence Day. Asked how he felt, Kamble said: “Bahut achcha lagta hai.” But won’t the starched uniform get a little hot under the collar? “Nahin, cotton ka hai,” came his shy reply.

Just as pleased, Mayor Hareshwar Patill recalls his experience at the conference in April. “When I entered the conference room, I noticed that the other mayors wore a kind of grand look with their jamadars dressed in angarkha standing alongside. Only my jamadar was in plain white clothes.” Before the month was out, Patil therefore got his proposal to reinstate the barabandi angarkha passed at the civic Group Leaders’ meeting. Now, both the jamadars assigned to the mayor — Kamble stands guard outside his chamber at the civic headquarters, while the other, Suresh Bharti, keeps watch inside — wear the uniform thanks to the Pagdi Kala Kendra at C P Tank, where they were stitched. Nazir, the jamadar assigned to the deputy mayor, is the third ecstatic recipient.

Though the barabandi angarkha tradition folded up in the BMC in 1950, it continued with the jamadars of the chief minister, deputy chief minister, governor and Speakers of both Houses of the state Legislature.

Remarks an enthused Patil: “At present, my jamadar will wear the uniform only for special functions, meetings and to the BMC’s General Body meetings. We may make this an everyday affair later on.” But, Mr Patil, is the Mayor of London coming?