Why PM Modi's Designer Turban Caused A Stir During His Sant Tukaram Temple Visit In Pune

Amid viral photos and videos of former allies Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray sharing stage in Mumbai during the PM's ongoing visit to Maharashtra, a sartorial controversy seems to have emerged in the Pune regarding the PM's turban. According to reports, the PM had got a custom-made turban for his visit to the Sant Tukaram Maharaj Temple in Pune. However, the turban became a bone of contention after the Dehu Sansthan objected to Abhang verses written. According to reports, the turban had to ultimately be changed. 

What is the turban controversy? 

The turban was designed especially for the PM by the famous turban-makers of Murudkar Zendewale and Fetewale as per the orders given by the Dehu temple, Indian Express reported. It was decorated with Tulsi beads that are part of the Warkari heritage. The turban was gifted to Modi by the shop owner Girish Murudkar and his artisans along with a special Uparne or shawl. 

However, the Dehu Sansthan which is in charge of the Sant Tukaram temple in Pune, however, objected to the Abhang verses printed on the turban. 

The verses originally printed on the turban were "Bhale tari deu kasechi langoti, nathalachya mathi hanu kathi". The lines are translated thus: "Will be good to those whose behaviour is good and those with evil practice will get a befitting answer."

However, following objections by Dehu Sansthan President Nitin Maharaj More, the verse was changed to "Vishnumay jag vaishnavancha dharma, bhedabhed bhrama amangal", India Today reported.

What is Abhang poetry?

Abhang poetry is a kind of devotional verse that was written by saint Tukaram in the 17th century. The verses are popular as devotional kirtans in praise of the deity Vitthala, also known as Vithoba. Abhang in Marathi means unending or without interruptions and the system of devotion refers to an unending form of worship.  On June 14, Modi inaugurated a 'shila' temple in the existing Tukaram temple in Pune's Dehu, the saint's birthplace. 

PM in Maharashtra

On Tuesday, the PM was on a day-long visit to Maharashtra during which he inaugurated a temple dedicated to the 17th-century saint, Tukaram Maharaj, in Dehu near Pune. He also visited Mumbai where he attended several events such as the inauguration of the 'Gallery of Revolutionaries' in Mumbai, the ‘Dwishatabdi Mahotsav’ of the 200-year-old newspaper ‘Mumbai Samachar’, and shared stage with CM Thackeray and others. 

Controversial clothes

This is not the first time that PM Modi's sartorial choices have been in the news. Known for the careful and often politically symbolic clothing the PM dons on his trips to various states (such as wearing the traditional headdress of Nagaland during the inauguration of the Hornbill music festival when visiting the state in 2014), his clothes have sometimes caused controversy. In 2016, the monogrammed 'Narendra Modi' suit that the PM previously wore during his meeting with former US President Barack Obama entered the Guinness Book Of Records as the most expensive suit to be auctioned. The suit, worth over Rs 4 crore with the PM's name embroidered on it has previously been targeted by the Congress as "extravagant" and even earned the BJP government the 'Suit boot ki sarkar' jibe. 

During his 2021 visit to Varanasi, videos of the PM accepting a pink turban from a local went viral.