Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledges the crowd as he leaves after the 75th Republic Day function, at the Kartavya Path in New Delhi, Friday, January 26, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Continuing his tradition of wearing flamboyant and colourful turbans, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose a multi-coloured bandhani print safa for his Republic Day look on Friday.
Bandhani is a type of tie-dye textile popular in Gujarat and Rajasthan. The fabric is decorated by plucking the cloth with fingernails into many tiny bindings that form a figurative design.
He wore a white kurta-pyjama with a brown V-neck jacket. The turban with a long trail had shades of yellow, saffron, pink and red.
Rajasthani turbans have been a popular choice of the prime minister for his Independence Day and Republic Day looks.
Last year too, Modi wore a multi-coloured Rajasthani turban and complemented it with pants and kurta. Later that year, on the 77th Independence Day, he opted for a vibrant Rajasthani-style turban, with multiple colours and a lengthy tail.
In 2019, Modi sported a multi-coloured turban as he gave his sixth Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort after returning to power for a second term with a thumping majority.
For his maiden Independence Day in 2014, he had opted for a bright red Jodhpuri bandhej turban. In 2015, Prime Minister Modi chose a yellow turban, covered with multi-coloured criss-cross lines, and a tie-and-dye turban in hues of pink and yellow in 2016.
The prime minister's turban for 2017 was a mix of bright red and yellow with crisscrossed golden lines all over. He donned a saffron turban for his appearance at the Red Fort in 2018.
From a bright red bandhani turban from Kutch to a mustard Rajasthani safa, Modi's eye-catching turbans have been a highlight of his Republic Day appearances too.
In 2022, Modi had chosen a unique Uttarakhand traditional cap for the Republic Day celebrations. The cap also had a Brahma Kamal-inspired brooch. Brahma Kamal is Uttarakhand's state flower, which the prime minister uses on every visit to Kedarnath.
In 2021, Modi wore a Halari Pagdi, a bright red bandhej (a type of tie-dye textile) headgear with yellow dots during the celebratory parade — a gift from the royal family of Jamnagar in Gujarat.