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Man flaunts wealth with 4kg gold shirt
Although he left school without any qualifications Pankaj Parakh created a multi-million pound textile business in India.
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He commissioned the solid gold shirt that weighs more than four kilos to celebrate his 45th birthday which fell last Friday.
He said: 'I wanted to wear something special when I say my thanks for my success at a thanksgiving visit to the Siddhivinayak Temple of the Hindu elephant god in Mumbai.'
And after paying just £127,000 to buy the gold and have it turned into a golden shirt, he thinks he got a good deal.
According to local media, the gold shirt has really got him noticed as he marched surrounded by bodyguards along the streets of his home in Yeola, 260 km from the city of Mumbai.
He says he gets both admiring looks from women and envious looks from men.
He said: 'I never go out with less than two to three kilos of gold jewellery.
'I have always been fascinated with gold since I was five. And over the years, that interest has become a real passion. So it was logical that I would want to make my 45th birthday a golden affair.
'In fact even on my wedding day, 23 years ago, a lot of people said it was embarrassing that I was wearing more gold than my bride, but I just love the royal metal.'
The shirt made by Shanti Jewellers at Parel in Mumbai has seven solid gold buttons. It took a team of around 20 craftsmen who collectively spent 3,200 hours over the past two months to 'stitch' it together.
The gold used in the shirt has an 18-22 carat purity, without any other metals, and he added: 'Before the taxman starts coming round, I can guarantee that every bit is properly recorded in my company accounts.'
Despite being made of gold the shirt has been so carefully made that it is as flexible as a normal shirt, he claims, and also just as comfortable because there is a thin cloth lining the inside.
He said: 'It is easily washed and can be hung up to dry just like a normal piece of clothing, and a good lifetime guarantee with it so that if it's torn or damaged it will quickly be repaired.'
And he added: 'I admit you need to be brave to wear a shirt like this, brave and also in possession of a gun like my fully licensed revolver which I also carry with me every time I go out.'