Asian Angle | Coronavirus: Pinarayi Vijayan, ‘the Andrew Cuomo of Kerala’ is showing India how to handle Covid-19
- Vijayan, an old-style Indian politician, is more reassuring than charismatic – and has earned fans for keeping a level head and human touch
- The state started preparing for Covid-19 as early as January, and the result is a sense of security and a recovery rate well above the national level
Every evening at 6pm, families in the state turn on their televisions. The chief minister’s daily update is such essential viewing that audience figures spike, pushing popular serials and reality shows aside.
But Vijayan is very different from Cuomo. He’s an old-style Indian politician and couldn’t care less about optics or sound bites. His delivery is so deadpan it borders on the soporific. Reading from his notes, he barely lifts his head.
“I know he isn’t charismatic, but that’s the point. He is reassuring and creates a sense of security because he is so calm and that’s what I like,” said freelance photographer Shrijan Nair in the city of Kannur.
Vijayan’s briefings show that he has grasped one important feature of the pandemic: it has left no area of human life untouched. So, on occasion, he strays from the day’s numbers to urge people to, say, drink more milk – since, with restaurants and hotels shut, milk consumption has fallen and dairy farmers are being forced to pour it down the drain.
