Meet Manish Tripathi, the textile designer behind Ram Lalla’s exquisite attire for Ram Navami Surya Tilak ceremony: ‘It feels as if Ram Lalla himself…’

Interestingly, the base colour of the poshak — called Pithambar Poshak — is always yellow and is bordered with complementing colours like red and pink. Today, it was pink. “Today’s poshak was made out of khadi and handloom silk. It also has lotus motifs adorning it,” shared Manish, a Delhi-based textile designer and caricature artist.

Recalling his journey, Manish, who also designs Indian army combat uniforms, as well as for IPL, BCCI and other celebrities, opened up about his association with the Uttar Pradesh Khadi and Village Industries Board that began in 2021. “The designed textiles were presented to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Ever since I have been in constant touch,” said Manish, who is currently a consultant with the Ministry of Skills, Government of India.

With an interest in Indian crafts and heritage, he has made it his life’s goal to promote Indian weaves and handicrafts. “I am always inclined toward handloom crafts. We have a huge network of weavers from across the country. It would not be wrong to say that having seen Ram Lalla in our creations, it feels as if Ram Lalla himself is promoting Indian textiles like Khadi, Jamdani, Pochampali, and more on a global scale,” expressed an excited Manish.

In an exclusive conversation with indianexpress.com, he went on to express gratitude that he got an opportunity to design every poshak that is adorned by Ram Lalla. “Each day, a new poshak is worn. Every poshak is air couriered from Delhi to Ayodhya. I feel a beautiful connection with Ram Lalla and his golden grace,” said Manish, who is also in the process of designing handkerchiefs to “wipe the face of Ram Lalla”.