Mohammad Azimur Rahman. Telegraph picture

Motihari, Feb. 28: A Champaran-born fashion designer has designed a kurta to remind Narendra Modi of his responsibilities as the chief minister of Gujarat on the 10th anniversary of the Godhra riots.

Based in New Delhi, Mohammed Azimur Rahman (31) hails from Phenhara village in East Champaran and is known in the corridor of power circles because of his creations for some Indian politicians and as well as United States president Barack Obama.

After graduating from National Institute of Fashion Technology in 2001, he had set up his own boutique under the brand name of Protein in Hauz Khas. Since then, he has developed a large number of clients, including political leaders.

Rahman told The Telegraph over phone from New Delhi: “The kurta, which I sent to him yesterday through Speed Post, is made of khadi and has been given a 10-year-old look through dyeing process. I have also sent a letter, along with the kurta, to the Gujarat chief minister,” he added.

“We the people have a simple question. Where is the action over reaction? This leads me to a larger question. Am I safe? Where? Nowhere is the most obvious and instinctive answer. This makes me uncomfortable. The discomfort leads me to conceive, conceptualise and execute something that might be a small effort in terms of its scale but its roots are deeply embedded in the rich heritage of Gujarat and Gandhian philosophy which I have been dedicated follower of. The land that is known for the Mahatma and khadi has been continuously under threat by anti-Gandhian philosophy since 2002,” said the letter.

In an e-mailed statement to The Telegraph, the designer said: “The work of art that I am reviving today is a symbolic representation of the post-Godhra riots, which is dedicated to the victims and people who suffered during the turmoil.”

“It is a reminder to the chief minister Narendra Bhai Modi. Even though it has been long, it’s not over yet. He is responsible for (on moral grounds) what happened 10 years ago. The kurta, which I am sending him, is made of khadi that symbolises Gandhian philosophy and the stains of blood over it represent the massacre that took place in Gujarat,” the statement added.

Rahman had shot into prominence in 2008, when the then railway minister Lalu Prasad wore a Rahman-designed kurta-pyjama while presenting the railway budget.

His clients include sitting and former ministers, industrialists and Bollywood aspirants. Ram Vilas Paswan, Sharad Yadav, Shahnawaz Hussain, Prabhunath Singh, Prem Chandra Gupta, former Bihar Governor Shafi Qureshi, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Shivanand Tiwari, Jyotiraditya Scindia, chairperson of Bajaj group Rahul Bajaj and Ram Vilas Pawan’s son Chirag are only a few among them. But his desire to design a kurta for senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani still remains a dream for Rahman.