Since Girish Murudkar and his team heard that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Pune on June 14, they began preparing for his visit. The PM will be in the city to inaugurate the idol of Jagatguru Sant Tukaram Maharaj at the Shila Mandir, Dehu Road. On the behest of the temple authorities, the team of artisans will be presenting him with a designer pagdi inspired by Sant Tukaram.
“This is the toughest one (pagadi) we have ever made,” says Murudkar, who has designed headgears for famous personalities such as Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Bal Thackeray, Prince Charles and more. His store, Murudkar Zendewale and Fetewale, is iconic in Pune and has been making traditional turbans and flags for three decades.
What makes this one difficult is the simplicity of Sant Tukaram. “He didn’t believe in the materialistic world. When we are making a turban for the Prime Minister, we need to be authentic [to Tukaram] at the same time, keep it rich and make it look classy. We couldn’t add diamonds or stones, as it would defeat the authenticity. Maintaining the balance was difficult,” shares Murudkar.
The turban has been made keeping the Warkari heritage in mind. The Warkaris are a religious movement in Maharashtra that worship Vithoba. The 43-year-old has made the pagdi using 10m silk cloth and Tulsi beads. The beads have been placed in a way that they resemble chandan and a tilak on the forehead, once it is worn. Tukaram’s Marathi and Hindi abhangs (poetries) have been added to it.
While Murudkar won’t be able to present the PM with the pagdi himself, he has paid special attention to every aspect of the gift. “We cannot use a glass box for security reasons, so we have used a transparent case, along with Chipalya (a traditional musical instrument played by the Warkaris). A shawl will be added along with idols of saints Tukaram and Gyaneshwar and, a picture of Lord Vithoba,” Murudkar shares. Ask if he is disappointed that he won’t get a chance to meet the PM, he says, “I have met him in his earlier visits.”
{{/usCountry}}While Murudkar won’t be able to present the PM with the pagdi himself, he has paid special attention to every aspect of the gift. “We cannot use a glass box for security reasons, so we have used a transparent case, along with Chipalya (a traditional musical instrument played by the Warkaris). A shawl will be added along with idols of saints Tukaram and Gyaneshwar and, a picture of Lord Vithoba,” Murudkar shares. Ask if he is disappointed that he won’t get a chance to meet the PM, he says, “I have met him in his earlier visits.”
{{/usCountry}}The gift costs almost ₹10,000, says the artist, who has worked for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani (2015).