Rahul Gandhi has trimmed his hair and beard for the first time since his Bharat Jodo Yatra, ahead of his lecture at Cambridge University.
The Congress leader landed in London on Tuesday for a week's tour that includes the student-only lecture at the University of Cambridge, his alma mater.
Rahul Gandhi, a Visiting Fellow of the Cambridge Judge Business School (Cambridge JBS), will speak on the subject "Learning to Listen in the 21st Century".
Images of the Congress MP with cropped hair and a styled beard were shared by many on social media, with some using the hashtag #NewLook.
राहुल गांधी कैंब्रिज यूनिवर्सिटी में - #NewLook pic.twitter.com/Hu7jLdRmDK
— Sandeep Singh (@ActivistSandeep) March 1, 2023
Rahul Gandhi ji trims off his beard, finally. @RahulGandhi #RahulGandhi pic.twitter.com/YsHkjoeGiN
— Sundar IYC (@sundar_iyc) March 1, 2023
The 52-year-old had let his hair and beard grow out during his 12-state march, covering some 4,000 km in over four months.
At Cambridge, Rahul Gandhi plans to hold closed-door sessions on "Big Data and Democracy" and "India-China relations" with Professor Shruti Kapila, an Indian-origin Fellow, Tutor and Director of Studies at the university's Corpus Christi College and Co-Director of the Global Humanities Initiative.
"Our @CambridgeMBA programme is pleased to welcome India's leading Opposition leader and MP Rahul Gandhi of the Indian National Congress," Cambridge JBS tweeted on Tuesday.
Our @CambridgeMBA programme is pleased to welcome #India's leading Opposition leader and MP @RahulGandhi of the Indian National Congress.
He will speak today as a visiting fellow of @CambridgeJBS on the topic of "Learning to Listen in the 21st Century". pic.twitter.com/4sTysYlYbC
— Cambridge Judge (@CambridgeJBS) February 28, 2023
The Congress leader shared the tweet and wrote: "Looking forward to visiting my alma mater Cambridge University and delivering a lecture at @CambridgeJBS. Happy to engage with some of the brightest minds in various domains, including geopolitics, international relations, big data and democracy."
The Congress leader last addressed the University of Cambridge at an event at Corpus Christi College entitled "India at 75" during a visit to the UK in May.
Rahul Gandhi left for the UK soon after the Congress's three-day leadership meet in Chhattisgarh's Raipur.