New Delhi: One thing that often attracts people’s attention during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign trips is his attire. On some tours, he is seen in Bandhgala and on other occasions, he wears traditional attire as per the local culture. Many times his kurtas, jackets and turbans also become separate topics of discussion in the pictures. Some of Modi’s looks were such that their pictures remained in social media and for a long time even after the end of the visit. Among these, his pinstripe suit worn by Barack Obama during his visit to India is most remembered.
What was that about the suit Obama wore?
It is about January 2015. US President Barack Obama had come to visit India. Modi arrived in a dark colored bandhgala suit during the formal programme at Rashtrapati Bhavan. At first glance the suit looked like a normal pinstripe design. But after the pictures came out, its real speciality came to light.
The stripes of the suit were actually made of Modi’s full name ‘Narendra Damodardas Modi’. It was prepared by Jade Blue of Ahmedabad. This one design suddenly brought the suit into limelight. A few weeks later it was put up for auction and sold for Rs 4.31 crore. The money received from the auction was said to be used for the Ganga cleaning campaign.
How was Modi’s attire during his first foreign trip?
Modi’s first foreign visit as Prime Minister was not to America but to Bhutan. In June 2014, he reached Bhutan on a two-day visit. At that time his attire was in a very traditional Indian style.
In the pictures of Bhutan tour, Modi appeared in clothes like kurta and jacket. At that time, his main focus was on the relations and mutual cooperation between the two countries, but Indian clothes also featured prominently in his photographs.
Why did the saffron color attract attention in Pashupatinath temple?
Even during his visit to Nepal, a different style of Modi was seen. In August 2014, Modi was dressed in saffron traditional attire when he visited Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu to worship. A lot of pictures of him wearing Rudraksh rosary in his hand and worshipping in the temple premises came to the fore. This style of choosing clothes according to the religious place while travelling abroad later became a part of his public look also.
What was the look like among China’s Terracotta Warriors?
In May 2015, Modi reached Xi’an during his visit to China. There he visited the famous Terracotta Warriors Museum. During this time, his sunglasses style was also captured in the cameras.
Modi’s pictures at this famous place associated with history came into discussion for a different reason. Unlike formal meetings, his attire here appeared a bit comfortable and casual. He also met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Xi’an.
Why did you wear local clothes after reaching Mongolia?
Modi, who reached Mongolia in May 2015, wore the traditional dress ‘Deel’ there. His pictures surfaced with a traditional cap on his head. This attire related to local culture got included in the memorable pictures of that tour.
This was not the first time that Modi adopted local attire during a foreign visit. Indian Express has also included this picture of her Mongolia tour among her popular style moments.
Why did bandhgala and jacket become the identity?
Bandhgala and half-sleeved kurta have been a frequent feature of Modi’s public attire. Along with this, use of jackets of different colours and local clothes was also seen on foreign tours. Experts writing on fashion have also discussed his style of dressing as a distinct style developed around bandhgalas, monogrammed suits and kurta-pajama.
There have been political debates and discussions in the fashion world regarding these clothes. But if seen at the level of photographs, the attire worn by Modi during his foreign tours was not the same every time. Sometimes completely Indian style, sometimes formal western attire and sometimes traditional dress of the host country, this change has been making her public look different.
