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Leading by example, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was seen covering his face with a Manipuri Gamcha (towel), also known as Meitei Lengyan, during his address to the nation on 14 April, 2020 wherein he announced an extension of the Coronavirus lockdown till 03 May.
Minutes after his address, PM Shri Modi changed his display picture on his social media profiles — his mouth and nose covered with the ‘Gamcha’ and hands folded in Namaste pose.
“Wearing a face cover is an essential exercise during the lockdown for people when they step out of their homes,” PM Shri Modi said before removing it and continuing with his nearly 25-minute speech. The Lengyan is a symbol of unity of all indigenous communities in Manipur and is highly regarded by its people. Mostly worn by men in the state, it is a cultural symbol too.
Last week, during an interaction with Chief Ministers of various states, PM Shri Modi was seen wearing a homemade mask aimed at spreading awareness over COVID-19.
Screenshot of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s official Twitter handle shows his new profile picture. Soon, others too started following his footsteps. Several senior BJP leaders, Union Ministers, leaders to millions of netizens, many have changed their profile picture on social media donning a ‘Gamcha’ over their faces.
Party president Shri JP Nadda, also put pictures of wearing face covers on his Twitter profiles with a message and others including the Union Health Minister also given messages by changing their profile picture.
Jagat Prakash Nadda @JPNadda
#WearFaceCoverStaySafe
Dr Harsh Vardhan @drharshvardhan
Wear a homemade masks to combat #COVID2019 !#StaySafe during #Lockdown2 Spend time productively #StayHome and #dontpanicbuy #Help others. Be #compassionate. Inspire others to wear a #mask change your #DP