Secret of smart salute

UNIFORMS OF the Imperial Malabar police, the huge, pleated shorts of early Independent India's police, to the smart khakis - all available across the counter, for a price.

You could relive a bygone era, or hire them for a movie shoot. The old caps and uniforms are sold mainly as costumes for shooting.

They are not the only clients. Many from the uniformed services of the present day, patronise these shops. Any uniformed serviceman from a jawan to a general in the army or a constable to DGP in the police force can walk into any of these outlets and come out in full uniform, batons, name-badge, stars and all (of course, excluding the medals). This dress exercise costs them around Rs.3000.

There are over a dozen shops which cater to these exclusive items in the city and are in great demand on the eve of Republic Day and Independence Day.

During normal times, demand is highest for police caps and NCC uniform items, while the beret army caps sit on the shelves.

Mr.B.Theagarajan, owner of Manis Concern, one of the oldest dealers in the city, says that his family has been in the business for over 60 years. Initially, they had their shop in the Moore Market and shifted to Periamet after Moore Market got gutted. His clientele includes senior police officers such as Mr. Subbiah, IGP (law and order) and Ms. G. Thilagavathi IGP (Railways).

The police caps also have a varying price, depending on the designation from Rs. 38 for a constable's cap to Rs. 550 for that of an officer's rank. Even the caps have sizes with the largest being 23 inches. The most common size is between 21 to 22 inches.

Ms. Thilagavathi says that she goes in for material for a cap while getting a uniform. This ensures that the cap and the uniform are of the same colour.

Mr. B. Ethiraj of United Industries, another dealer says that apart from uniforms these shops provide even lathis and shields.

By S. Shivakumar

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