Prime Minister Narendra Modi marked the 80th Independence Day with his signature flair, sporting a traditional tie-and-dye red Rajasthani bandhej chunari safa turban for his 13th consecutive address to the nation from the historic ramparts of the Red Fort.
Modi paired his white kurta and chocolate brown vest with the traditional turban, common in Rajasthani and Gujarati culture. He also sported three pocket squares of saffron, green and white colours.
Also Read:
Every year, Modi made sure to turn heads coming in iconic turbans which signifies the rich history of India’s textile culture. Let’s take a look at all the varieties worn by the Prime Minister since his reign from 2014.
79th Independence Day - 2025
The prime minister adorned a full bright solid saffron coloured turban in a traditional pagri style. To compliment the look he wore a matching orange jacket layered with a solid white scarf of orange and green strikes to denote the Indian flag.
78th Independence Day - 2024
For his 2024 look, a Rajasthani multicoloured-leheriya pattern turban was the showstopper. The famous tie-and-dye art form from Rajasthan, the stylish leheriya turban had hues of red green, yellow and orange complementing the overall look. He chose a solid sky blue jacket to pair with his usual white kurta giving an overall contrasting style.
77th Independence Day - 2023
Just like 2026, his 77th Independence address also featured a bandhani/bandhej print turban. This multicoloured-bandhani look was completed with an off-white standard collared kurta and a brown and black textured waistcoat. A pink and black printed pocket square accessorised the look.
76th Independence Day - 2022
Unlike previous years, the 2022 turban was oozing patriotism as it commemorated his 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign. The headgear was a solid chiffon-like light white material with orange and green geometric patterns all over it to showcase the Indian flag. He wore a white solid kurta with a solid periwinkle-coloured coat.
75th Independence Day - 2021
In his 75th Independence address look, Modi wore a light-orange base headgear with different shades of pink coloured prints. The turban featured a long-tail which added a regional appearance. He wore a crisp white regular kurta with a pastel-blue waistcoat layered with a woven-bordered white stole.
74th Independence Day - 2020
The 2020 Independence day celebrations were conducted with safety precautions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But prime minister arrived in his usual regal look adorning a saffron and cream coloured pagri along with an ivory tone half-sleeved kurta and a white stole with orange borders to compliment the headgear.
73rd Independence Day - 2019
He first shone in leheriya in his multicoloured safa back in 2019. The multicoloured head accessory was completed with a full-white khadi kameez with a orange stole with block print run along border accentuating the fit.
72nd Independence Day - 2018
The 2018 look was again a full saffron pagri (turban) with red bandhani print at the tail end. A white solid khadi kurta and a black-grey geometric panel border stole completed the whole look.
71st Independence Day - 2017
Modi wore a yellow and dark solid turban with golden criss-crossed border all over the gear. The dark cream short-sleeved kurta fulfilled the entire look.
70th Independence Day - 2016
For his 70th independence day address at Red Fort, Modi he chose to wear a red-white-pink-orange-yellow mixed vibrant pagri and a white solid stiff block-style translucent kurta to complete the fit.
69th Independence Day - 2015
For his second official independence address as a prime minister, Modi wore a mustard yellow shade turban with multicoloured stripes all over featuring a long tail. The cream colured kurta with beige waistcoat was accessorised with a Indian flag themed pocket square. This year also established his turban tradition.
68th Independence Day - 2014
For the 68th Independence day celebration in 2014, also marking his debut address, Modi went all bright red bandhani print along with a green contrast tail. The off-white short sleeved kurta finished the whole appearance.
Taking all the styles from 2014 till now, Prime Minister Narendra Modi can be seen as a great lover of orange-red hues. He is seen most in bandhani and lehariya tie-and-dye prints showing his deep-rooted fondness to bring in rich Indian heritage art styles mainstream, embracing local textiles and crafts. These styles are distinct to Rajasthan.
(This story is compiled by Aaron Philip Keechireth).
