BJP's boatman in Kerala

His Malayalam isn't especially good. Nor is he a particularly stirring orator in a state that has known legendary public speakers. He hasn't spent much time in Kerala. Still, Rajeev Chandrasekhar was appointed chief of the Kerala unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) earlier this week for precisely these reasons: That he would not be viewed as a threat, and would help unite a deeply faction-ridden unit of the party.

- ADITI PHADNIS

Pictures of Mr Chandrasekhar being felicitated for his new appointment show him in a blue kurta with what looks like a flying bird embroidered on the pocket—the bird bears a striking resemblance to the Indian Air Force's (IAF's) crest: A flying Himalayan eagle. This goes beyond symbolism. Mr Chandrasekhar calls himself a fauji brat who was born in Ahmedabad and grew up in cantonments all over India: Ladakh, Jorhat, and Delhi. His father, Air Commodore M K Chandrasekhar, was highly regarded in the IAF. His early exposure made Mr Chandrasekhar junior a devout devotee of the culture of the armed forces: He consistently fought battles of the defence services, whether it was to hold extensive discussions on One Rank One Pension (OROP) with the former defence minister, the late Manohar Parrikar, or something as lowly as better facilities for the nursing staff in the medical corps. He ensured that a Dakota DC-3 aircraft of 1940 vintage, a legendary transport aircraft destined for the scrapheap in the United Kingdom, was bought by him, restored to flying condition, and gifted to the Indian Air Force in 2018.