Kurtis with the Modi gala up for sale in Ranchi on Thursday. Telegraph picture

India’s first Prime Minister would have been sartorially proud of his present-day counterpart. Giving the Nehru jacket company is the Modi bundi or kurta with gala. And, its neckline — the distinctive round, high collar, similar to a mandarin one — is a rage among women, too.

Move over Bollywood babes and telly bahus. Narendra Modi’s neckline is the latest ‘in’ thing among college students and working women. Tailors may cry hoarse that the design is not new, that earlier it was called the half-collar or band-gala, but no one is buying it.

Sporting a Modi gala is the new cool especially with the cold nip in the air. Not to forget the election and marriage seasons.

“Certainly people wanting such necklines refer to Modiji’s dress code,” smiled Neetu, owner of Fashion Mantra, a well-known tailoring outfit on Kanke Road.

Neetu has an interesting clientele for the Modi neckline.

“There are young girls who even ask for some embroidery work on the raised collar or a designer button when they get the Modi neckline on their kurtis. The more senior ladies ask for collared blouses. They suggest piping of a darker shade in the collar for prominence in comparison to the base colour of the blouse,” Neetu said.

“The neckline is popular because Modiji wears it. Aajkal sabhi Modi gala hi kah rahe hain. Kisi ko collar wali dress chahiye to samjhane mein aasan ho gaya hai na (Everyone calls it Modi neckline. Anybody looking for a collared dress these days finds it easy to explain the style by simply calling it Modi gala),” said Parvez, who runs Nicco Tailor on Uddhav Babu Lane in Tharpakhna.

Parvez showed The Telegraph kurtis that he has stitched with the Modi gala. “It’s the new craze,” smiled the tailor who has weathered many such crazes.

So, is Narendra Modi making a new fashion statement? “Perhaps yes. He has a cool dressing sense,” said Prerna Kumar (25), a Ranchi girl who is preparing for her civil services exams in New Delhi. “There is no harm in following his style, but one should not be a copycat.”

Puja (37), a development professional who often wears her blouses with raised-collar necklines, said: ‘I had been sporting this neckline for a long time. I like it for its smart, no-nonsense look. Now, because it is Narendra Modi’s dress code, people are noticing it.”

Does your wardrobe sport a Modi gala?

Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com