>> We’ve seen him in his role as one of Wharton’s most controversial speaker that might have been, and the hitherto yet undeclared prime ministerial candidate for the BJP, but the latest avatar of the irrepressible Narendra Modi might just be as fashion guru. Witness the note he wrote last week to designer Shruti Sancheti who will be presenting her collection ‘Swadeshi’ at theu00a0Lakme Fashion Week — Summer/Resort 2013. ‘Khadi for nation to Khadi for fashion’ includes integration of Swadeshi sanskars in youth matching to the latest trend of the fashion world (sic)’ writes the Gujarat CM making up for patriotism what he lacks in grammar. Sancheti, a mother of two, is no stranger to LFW or grandiose themes. Her debut at Lakme Fashion Week started with a collection titled ‘Zero Mile Legacy’, we’re informed and her CV makes it abundantly clear that she is married into a prominent and politically active family in Nagpur too. Which perhaps explains Modi’s uncharacteristic endorsement. “It is high time to market the handmade environment friendly fabric to stand out in a crowd as the tallest of all as brand India,” he writes. The CM as a fashionista? Who woulda thunk it?

Gujarat CM Narendra Modi.u00a0