ENTHUSED schoolchildren on Thursday crowded around Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with many of them jostling to shake hands as he sidestepped his security cover to greet his young admirers after his Independence Day address from the Red Fort.

 

 

Dressed in a white kurta-pyjama and a colourful turban, Modi arrived at the Red Fort to a thunderous applause from the crowd. He spoke for over 90 minutes from the ramparts of the 17th century Mughal citadel and touched upon issues like triple talaq, sanitation, importance of water and population control. Soon after finishing his speech, Modi waved at the crowd and walked to his motorcade to leave.

 

 

On his way out, he halted and stepped out of his car, breaking from the security cordon to enter an enclosure where thousands of children, mostly girls, welcomed him with loud cheers. Dressed in the colours of the national flag, the excited children jostled with each other to get a glimpse of the Prime Minister while those in the front rows got an opportunity to shake hands with him. “I can’t believe I got so close to the country’s PM,” said an ecstatic Mehvish Parveen (13), a Class 6 student of a Government school in Daryaganj.

 

 

“The moment I saw him approaching us, I dashed towards him. I was only able to touch his hand as so many girls were jostling to shake hands with him. I feel very lucky,” she said.

 

 

 

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi sported a multi-coloured turban as he gave his sixth Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Thursday. “Safa” has been a highlight of the PM’s sartorial choices at Independence Day and Republic Day events.

 

 

Modi donned a half-sleeve white kurta, pyjama and a stole with saffron border along with a multi-coloured turban replete with hues of yellow, red and green with ‘leheriya’ pattern. For Independence Day address as Prime Minister in 2014, Modi had opted for a Jodhpuri bandhej turban.