When Modi wore pheran gifted by Anantnag farmer
On a day he embarked on his Jammu and Kashmir visit for poll canvassing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a story of how a Valley farmer presented him with a heart-warming gift of pheran, the traditional Kashmiri gown.
The story (PMO shared the farmer's video) revolves around Irshad Hussain Naikoo, a farm labourer in Valley's Anantnag, who had been wishing to meet PM Modi since 2013.
Financial hardships apart, Naikoo was so driven by his urge to see the PM that he decided to send the latter a gift and began saving up for it. After a few years of saving, Naikoo zeroed down on a pheran for the PM. He carefully selected the fabric, but was challenged by the lack of knowledge about PM Modi's measurements.
So, Naikoo had no idea what size the Prime Minister wore. It then occurred to him that his father's build was quite similar to Modi's, so he took his father to the tailor for measurements and explained what he wanted.
Once the outfit was ready, Naikoo began his journey from Anantnag to Delhi to deliver it to the PM and reached the gate of the Prime Minister's residence.
Security arrangements were such that he couldn't enter. So he decided to return to Kashmir and send it by courier. A few days later, he received an unexpected phone call.
The person on the other side asked, “You had visited the Prime Minister's residence, right?” Irshad remembered he had sent the gift, enclosing a letter with his full address and phone number. The call was from the Prime Minister’s Office.
The PMO official had called Naikoo to inform him that the PM was wearing his gift while addressing a rally in Srinagar. “PM is currently in Kashmir and addressing a rally in Srinagar wearing the pheran you gifted," the official informed him.
Irshad was in his field when he received the call and could hardly believe what he heard. The Prime Minister was indeed wearing the gift he had sent! Overjoyed, he went home and asked a friend to check the event online.
"To my delight, I saw the person I admire most was indeed wearing the pheran," remembers Naikoo in a video shared by the PMO ahead of Modi's Thursday visit to the Valley. Irshad says he still cherishes the memory of the day.
