A saffron turban, a churidaar and a flared kameez with a belt generally constitute a Mavla's clothing. And the term mavla refers not just to the Maratha warriors during Chhatrapati Shivaji's reign, but also to warriors under all Maratha regimes.

The order banning the Mavla outfit in public places is the outcome of a demand forwarded to Joshi by the Maratha Seva Sangh (MSS) -- an organisation of Maharashtra's politically powerful and influential Maratha community.

``The mavlas established theHindavi Swarajya in Maharashtra. They are our national heroes. We think it is an insult to them if a gatekeeper is made to wear their dress,'' said Amrutrao Sawant, president of the MSS. The eight-year-old body has 30 district chapters, 350 taluka units across the state and more than 2,000 members per unit. The demand was first raised by the Sangh two years ago, and a meeting with Chief Minister Manohar Joshi took place on August 8, 1996. ``The Chief Minister did not have any problems agreeing with the Sangh's stand, and he gave the demand a nod almost immediately,'' Sawant told Express Newsline. However, the order was issued only after two years, after 25 of the Sangh's district heads again had a meeting with the CM in the Sahyadri Guest House on September 4 this year.

This time round, Joshi's nod was definitive. ``Since the dress of the mavlas is not just the pride of the Marathas but that of the entire state, Chief Minister Manohar Joshi has said that attendants, gatekeepers, guardsand hotel darbans will not be allowed to wear it,'' says an information pamphlet issued on September 4 by the Information and Public Relations Department of the State Secretariat. The attendant outside Joshi's cabin has already changed into plain clothes. The customary churidaar-kameez is conspicuous by its absence. The Sangh, however, is not going to sit back and relax. It plans to keep a constant vigil to ensure that the order is implemented. ``We will know immediately if the government fails to implement the order. If it does fail, we will agitate till the order is implemented,'' said Sawant. But the ban on mavala attire may not affect the darbans of five-star hotels and those approved by the tourism department, as most of them do not dress as mavlas. The others will have to get their mavla clothing packed, though. Probably, forever.