Opinion Clothes make the CEO

For the last seven years,Ranjekar has sported only the churidar-kurta as formal work attire. On a recent 12-day trip to the United States,he packed 12 cotton churidar-kurtas and a couple of Indian jackets. But the New York incident was the only time the veteran Wipro executive had been called out for his dress sense.

For a regular day at his office in Bangalore,meetings outside,or work trips to Japan,Brazil and elsewhere in the globe,Ranjekar’s wardrobe of 120 well-tailored churidar-kurtas have served him well. When weather or occasion demands,he throws on a jacket to take the outfit up a notch. On Sundays,he lounges around in jeans and tees.

Many top corporate leaders in Bangalore mirror Ranjekar’s dignified sartorial choices. Longtime Infosys top executive Mohandas Pai,currently private equity investor and chairman of Manipal Universal Learning,wears churidar-kurtas to work at least four times a week. Brittania Industries managing director,Vinita Bali,embraces vibrant Indian colours and fabrics at work in either salwar-kameez or a fusion of Indian kurta and trousers.

Nandu Madhava,founder and CEO of healthcare start-up mDhil,says his kurta and jeans perfectly epitomise the culture of both modern Bangalore and technology companies. “Bangalore is getting a bit like San Francisco,where you could be seriously discredited for showing up at a start-up meeting in a tie”.

It is not yet widespread,at least not among the men,but top-ladder corporate India as represented by Bangalore may be starting to do a rethink on what constitutes formal business attire. It befits Bangalore,where a be-done-with-the-archaic culture prevails in several forms at the workplace,whether in dress code or job title.

Elsewhere,too,as the dynamic Indian economy grows,more Indian business leaders feel confident adopting Indian clothing for official occasions,says Mohandas Pai. They may not ditch Armani,but they are certainly taking to Sandeep Khosla-Abu Jani.

In Mumbai,there’s a whole “Sari brigade” in the banking sector,where a line-up of hotshot lady CEOs will not be seen in anything other than exquisite Indian saris and well-tailored ethnic salwar kameez. A look at a recent list of India’s 20 most powerful women in business illustrates that all but four of them prefer or wear Indian clothes exclusively.

As it turns out,the higher up in the corporate ladder women climb,the more comfortable they are in stylish and ethnic Indian garments,often matched with a piece of very Indian jewellery.

Amongst men,long kurtas,bandh galas and Nehru jackets are gaining more acceptance in socio-business settings,says Shital Kakkar Mehra of Soft Skills International,a business etiquette consultant. One generation ago,Indian clothing was an absolute no-no in any work-related situation. While many top Indian executives still stick to the jacket-and-tie dress code at work,these days they are gradually easing out of Western wear for after-work meetings or social occasions,Kakkar Mehra says.

Bangalore’s kinder weather allows executives to carry off Western suits. But Indian clothes are so much more comfortable and suitable for Indian weather conditions,says Ranjekar. “I really pity those who have to dress up in a suit and tie in the blazing Indian summer,” he says.

Manipal Universal’s Mohandas Pai prefers to stick to Western formals outside India. That makes clients and customers comfortable,he says. The climate too demands heavier clothing. But that too may change,Pai predicts. “Once we become major buyers in the global marketplace,we will become confident and self-assured wearing Indian clothing anywhere in the globe.”

saritha.rai@expressindia.com