‘Deeply honoured’: Raghavendra Rathore on designing BSF Women Camel Contingent uniform for Republic Day Parade 2023

The uniform incorporates sartorial and cultural elements of India's history in a bid to represent what BSF offers to the country by guarding its borders

By: Lifestyle Desk

New Delhi | January 4, 2023 10:50 AM IST

3 min read

Raghavendra designs uniform for female BSF Camel Contingent (Source: PR handout)

Listen to this article

Your browser does not support the audio element.

For the first time since Independence, Border Security Force’s (BSF) first-ever women contingent will be seen riding atop camels at the Republic Day Parade 2023. While their male counterparts have been a part of the famed celebrations since 1976, the Mahila Praharis, as they are popularly known, will also follow the foot marching contingent down the Kartavya Path, from Rashtrapati Bhavan to Red Fort, this year.

The uniform for the women’s camel contingent has been designed by Jodhpur-based renowned fashion designer, Raghavendra Rathore, who called it a “truly humbling” and “exciting” experience. Assembled in-house at the Raghavendra Rathore Jodhpur atelier, the uniform is unique as it features many elements from treasured craft forms across India.

ALSO READ | ‘This is madness’: Sabyasachi’s ‘India Tote’ collection leaves netizens baffled

“It was a moment of great honour and pride to serve the heroes who serve our nation – it gave us the opportunity to create a design that will be a part of the BSF culture forever, immortalising the classic bandhgala and the breeches, the source inspiration for this design,” the designer told indianexpress.com.

The uniform incorporates sartorial and cultural elements of India’s history in a bid to represent what BSF offers to the country by guarding its borders. Considering the nature of the job, the functionality and practicality of outfits were of utmost priority for the designer while designing them. “The aim was to design an outfit that maintains the Indian ethos while ensuring the functionality and comfort for the women cadets, and imbibing the accessories that artisans were already creating,” he said.

BSF Uniform by Raghavendra Rathore Jodhpur (Source: PR Handout)

For Rathore, the founding inspiration for the silhouette of the uniform was the Jodhpuri breeches, while maintaining the emphasis on the bandhgala. The base fabric of the uniform has a texture that has been highlighted with various trims of hand-crafted zardozi work, specially created in Benaras with the age-old Danka technique that adds a touch of elegance to the uniforms. The headgear, on the other hand, is a pagh (turban) that is inspired by the pagh of the Mewar region of Rajasthan.

He admitted feeling proud to be a “part of a historical project that demonstrates equal rights for men and women in the BSF platoon, through design”.

📣 For more lifestyle news, follow us on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook and don’t miss out on the latest updates!

From the homepage