Birthday boy clothes himself in gold

James Bond's rival had a golden gun, but one Indian school dropout has a gold shirt that weighs 4kg and is worth $214000 (about R2.2-million).

Pankaj Parakh, who made his fortune from his garment fabrication business , is no stranger to opulence.

When he ventures on to the streets in Yeola, 260km from Mumbai, India, women stare and men glare because he is adorned with gold jewellery weighing at least 2kg.

At his 45th birthday cele- brations on Friday, Parakh wore his latest acquisition at a huge gathering that included the likes of Maharashtra tourism minister Chhagan Bhujbal of the Nationalist Congress Party as well as other politicians and celebrities .

With the gold shirt and its gold buttons, Parakh hopes to enter the Guinness World Records.

"Gold has always fascinated me, since I was five years old and studying in school," said Parakh.

"Over the years, I have become passionate about this royal metal. I got this special shirt stitched to mark my 45th birthday."

The shirt was designed by Bafna Jewellers of Nashik, 85km away, and meticulously executed by Shanti Jewel- lers at Parel in Mumbai, where a team of about 20 select artisans spent the past two months stitching it.

Parakh, who took delivery of the shirt in Mumbai, offered a sneak peek of his treasured garment.

He even wore it for a visit to the city's famed Siddhivinayak Temple before posing for some pictures near the temple, while curious onlookers watched from a distance.

He said the gold used in the shirt was of 18 carat to 22 carat purity. There was no mixture of any other metals in it - and the expenditure had been properly accounted for (an apparent assurance to snoopy tax sleuths).

Although it is made of gold, the shirt is fully flexible and comfortable. It is lined with cloth to avoid rubbing the body.

Parakh said it could be washed and hung out to dry, and if torn or damaged could be repaired and modified.

It had a lifetime guarantee of durability, he said.