"Kurta Is So Cool": Ola CEO Urges Young Techies To Embrace Traditional Indian Attire

Ola Chief Bhavish Aggarwal recently voiced his fondness for traditional Indian garments, particularly 'kurtas', and urged young Indian men to embrace the attire. Speaking to ANI, Mr Aggarwal talked about the elegance of sartorial wear and how such choices reflect cultural elegance and a polished, yet relaxed, fashion approach. Notably, a 'kurta' is a loose collarless shirt or tunic worn in many regions of South Asia, and now also worn around the world.

"I actually normally these days for public events wear a kurta. And I think that I'm also trying to communicate a certain image about how Indian CEOs, I think, can be. We can be more comfortable in our skin, quite literally, right? And our skin is our clothing--the kind of fashion sense that is true in India. And a kurta is a very elegant dress, in my view. So, I feel all Indian CEOs, especially the younger tech ones, should wear a kurta," said the Ola CEO.

Watch the video here:

In the podcast, Mr Aggarwal pointed out how the personal attire choices of influential figures such as former Apple CEO Steve Jobs and NVIDIA President Jensen Huang have influenced trends.

"Over the years, especially in the Bay Area, they have made the attire statement. And it started, I think, with Steve Jobs. He had his turtleneck. And then now you have Jensen Huang, who's the new iconic hero on the block. He wears a leather jacket if you've noticed. The NVIDIA. Yes, the NVIDIA guy. He wears a leather jacket at every event," he said.

"Same leather jacket, black jeans, black shirt, and black leather jacket. So a lot of, you know, in India, in our startup ecosystem, we end up looking up too much to the West. And so, sometimes people try to do the same thing. So, I said, let's try our Indian sartorial things. So, we used to wear a kurta and a kurta is so cool. It's a good cloth for summer. And I think it looks cool too," Mr Aggarwal added. 

The entrepreneur also discussed how he blends traditional and Western styles to resonate with the younger generation. When asked about his attire for major tech meetups in India and abroad, he replied, "I like to mix it up. Sometimes I wear a 'bandi' or an Indian-style jacket with jeans. I want to avoid looking outdated, you know, like those 70-year-old guys."

The CEO further addressed the issue of how young people in India might not perceive Indian culture as trendy and emphasized the responsibility to revive fashionable Indian elements and reconnect the youth with their heritage.

Notably, Bhavish Aggarwal founded Ola Cabs in 2010, which is now India's most popular ride-hailing service with over 50% market share. In 2021, he started Ola Electric, a company focused on electric vehicles. Within three years, Ola Cabs and Ola Electric together are valued at over $13 billion. His latest venture, Krutrim, launched in April 2023, became India's first AI unicorn.