It was no less than a dream come true for Sameer Shukla, an artist based out of the tourist town of Mussoorie, as he watched live visuals of Prime Minister Narendra Modi donning Uttarakhand’s ‘Brahma Kamal’ cap on the 73rd Republic Day at Rajpath in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Sameer, who also runs a museum called Soham to promote Himalayan artisans, says PM Modi wearing the ‘Brahma Kamal Cap’, which was designed by him and his wife and unveiled in 2017 on the Uttarakhand Formation Day, is a true tribute to the local art and culture.
People in Uttarakhand usually sport a white ‘Nehru cap’ and a black one in the Gharwal region. While in the Jaunsar region, locals prefer caps that closely look the ‘Himachali topis’.
“Every state has its own dress or headgear. But in Uttarakhand, we did not have anything that represented Uttarakhand’s identity as a state. Therefore, we decided to design a headgear (cap),” Shukla told News18 over the phone.
While conceptualising the idea, the couple realised that the cap had to be trendy and unique so that even youngsters wear it.
“We named the cap after Brahma Kamal (state flower). Besides, four strips were designed at the front so it looks unique,” Shukla further said. The cap was launched in 2017 and in the last five-plus years, around 8,000 caps have been sold.
He further said local artisans make the caps; some stitch while others put strips and earn some decent price. The caps have been reaching out to customers both offline and online.
A Dehradun-based youngster, Raman Shaily, who runs ‘Pahari Store’, displays ‘Brahma Kamal’ caps besides many other products. Shaily was left astonished when a BJP MP approached him and inquired about the cap.
“The senior BJP leader was instrumental in looping the PMO,” Shaily says.
Locals say they feel PM Modi wearing Uttarakhand’s cap is a “big deal” for all artisans of the Himalayan state as they can expect “good days” ahead for the local business.
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