Overview

• On Friday, Modi donned a bright saffron turban alongside a saffron bandhgala jacket over a white kurta-churidar set.
• He complemented the outfit with a cream stole trimmed in tricolour stripes, which media outlets said symbolised India’s unity and historical legacy.
• The 2025 ceremony marked his 12th straight speech from the Red Fort and reinforced the turban as his signature visual statement.
• Journalists running annual retrospectives note Modi’s varying headgear over the past decade, from Rajasthani leheriya prints to the mask-like scarf of the 2020 pandemic address.
• The tradition launched in 2014 with a red Jodhpuri bandhej safa has evolved into a ritual of sartorial symbolism that media outlets now chart every year.