Feature
Beard it like Abhinandan: The moustache trend that signifies heroism
His bravado apart, Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Abhinandan Varthaman’s stylised beard — a mix of a thin mutton chop beard, a classic gunslinger or a Franz Josef — has become the talk of the town. It may not be too long before it becomes a trend among people, say experts.
Reminiscent of a beard sported by megastar Rajinikanth in “Petta” or Suriya in “Singam”, Abhinandan’s well-groomed facial hair style may well be the next big thing for men who have drawn from shapes sported by cricketers Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan and Bollywood star Ranveer Singh in recent times.
“It won’t be wrong to say the beard sported by the IAF pilot will soon be called India’s very own Abhinandan style,” Darshan Yewalekar, personal hairstylist to actor Ranveer Singh and owner of D Shave Barbershop, said .
Abhinandan, an IAF Wing Commander, returned to India on Friday night, two days after he was captured by Pakistan when his MiG-21 crashed in that country.
After the end of the nail-biting drama over his return, Twitterati have finally got a chance to mull over his unique moustache.
For generations altogether, Army and Air Force personnel have been particular about flaunting a well-groomed moustache or beard and it is part of their sub-culture.
“It tells a lot of the soldier’s and the official’s individuality. It is like an expression of their character and they wear it with pride,” Yewalekar said.
The habit of sporting a distinctive moustaches is well engrained in the Indian psyche, with even a saying for great shame based on the position of moustache tips.
A moustache is seen as an essential part of masculinity — from royalty to soldiers to dacoits and even popular culture. Remember Quick Gun Murugan, the fictional south Indian cowboy on television ads and a film, and the Nathulal of “Sharaabi”. Other famous men who have sported unique moustaches in recent Indian history include dacoits Man Singh, Mohar Singh and Madho Singh, apart from Veerappan.
Jaipur-based man Ram Singh Chauhan from Rajasthan is the proud owner of the longest moustache in the world and a mention in the Guinness Book of World Records. MDH owner Mahashay Dharampal Gulati also has a moustache to remember.
Bharti Taneja, Founder and Director, Alps Beauty Group, finds Abhinandan’s moustache more of a gunslinger.
“It is shaped somewhat like the handlebars of a bicycle. But from now onwards the common man of India will remember this as ‘Abhinandan moustache’ only,” Taneja told IANS, adding a gunslinger is typically considered a cool and classic style that never goes out of vogue.
“It signifies machoism or valour and bravery, something that our hero Abhinandan has shown the world. He has added the ‘heroism’ quotient to this style.
“His moustache reflects his strong physical and mental health. Just see how groomed and cool his moustache looks — it would make any man want to follow his style. Women are loving it too! It’s a style of a gentleman,” Taneja said.
Twitterati are going gaga over the moustache. If there are memes, there are also discussions about how long it’s going to be before the style becomes a rage.
“Barbers are going to have a tough task designing this, and may thus benefit from premium pricing,” wrote one user, while another mentioned the IAF wings on Abhinandan’s uniform, and quipped: “I love how no one is acknowledging #Abhinandan’s double wings. His IAF wings and his moustache wings.”
One user commented: “Abhinandan’s moustache will be the next styling sensation throughout India. Don’t get flabbergasted when your barber asks you ‘Abhinandan cut chahiye?'”
Some even recounted actor Suriya’s “Singam” moustache and calling Abhinandan the “real Singam” for his bravery.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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