Kangana Ranaut said that uniforms for nurses in India should be "Indianised" to remove the influence of British colonial design [1].

The proposal highlights a growing movement within Indian political circles to decouple national professional standards from colonial-era legacies. By questioning the attire of healthcare workers, Ranaut is linking professional dress codes to broader themes of national identity and cultural sovereignty.

Ranaut said that the current design of nursing uniforms is too British [1]. She said the attire should be redesigned based on the preferences of the nurses themselves to ensure their comfort and dignity [2].

According to Ranaut, the nursing profession deserves dignity, and the clothing worn by these professionals should reflect Indian cultural preferences rather than maintaining a style inherited from the British era [2]. This shift, she suggested, would better align the profession with the cultural context of the country.

The call for a redesign emphasizes the need for uniforms that are both functional and culturally appropriate. Ranaut said the current standards do not sufficiently account for the specific needs and identities of Indian healthcare providers [1].

While the proposal focuses on aesthetics and cultural pride, it also touches on the practicalities of medical attire. Ranaut said the redesign process should be driven by the nurses' own preferences to ensure the clothing is suitable for the demands of the job [2].

“"Nurses' uniforms should be Indianised; the current design is too British."”

This effort to 'Indianise' professional attire is part of a wider sociocultural trend in India to remove colonial remnants from public institutions. While the change is primarily symbolic, it reflects a political strategy to prioritize indigenous identity over inherited Western norms in the public sector.