Modi Breaks Protocol to Honour Ramnami Tribe Delegation’s Wish to Adorn Him With Tribal Headgear

Raipur: Two members of the Ramnami tribe, a community that lives a life of chanting the name of Lord Ram, became emotional when Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke the protocol that allowed them to adorn themselves with their traditional headdress (peacock feather crown) during his visit to Raipur to attend the Chhattisgarh Foundation Day Silver Jubilee celebrations on Saturday.

Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai shared a video on X on Sunday, capturing the emotional moment of the incident.

Mr. Sai’s post on

The Chief Minister explained that just a few hours before the Chief Minister’s arrival in Raipur, members of the Ramnami community met him at the state secretariat.

During this meeting, they stated that they wanted to meet the Prime Minister in person.

Arrangements were immediately made to accommodate their wishes.

“When Ramnami devotees met the Prime Minister during the Silver Jubilee event, they expressed their wish to adorn her with their traditional ‘purple mukut’ (peacock feather crown) as a sign of devotion,” Mr. Sai said.

What happened next was extremely moving, Mr. Sai recalled.

“The Prime Minister accepted their wishes with rare grace, compassion and warmth, creating a moment that deeply moved and inspired everyone present,” Mr. Sai recounted.

In the video clip, Ramnami tribe members are seen pleading with the Prime Minister to allow them to wear their traditional headgear as security personnel did not allow them to go on stage.

In the video, the Prime Minister was seen assuring the tribesmen to honor their wish to adorn him with their traditional headgear and was heard asking the security personnel to allow them to carry it with them.

The community is considered the ‘living embodiment of faith’ because for them Ramnam (chanting the name of Lord Ram) is religion and Rambhakti (devotion to Lord Ram) is action.

Every member of the community writes the name of Lord Ram on his body as a symbol of surrender, penance and unwavering devotion.

“Ram reaffirmed that devotion is not limited to worship but is a way of life exemplified by Prime Minister Narendra Modi through his actions and values,” Mr. Sai said.