New Delhi (India), February 1: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has once again made a statement with her choice of saree on Budget Day, continuing her tradition of celebrating India’s rich textile heritage. This year, she wore a stunning off-white saree with intricate golden work, paired with a red blouse and shawl, while carrying her signature ‘bahi-khata’—a tablet wrapped in red cloth adorned with a golden national emblem.
However, this saree had a deeper significance. It was a gift from Padma Shri awardee Dulari Devi, a self-taught Madhubani artist from Bihar. Sitharaman met Dulari Devi during a visit to the Mithila Art Institute in Madhubani for a credit outreach event, where the artist presented the saree and requested that she wear it on Budget Day.
By wearing the gifted saree, Sitharaman paid tribute to the exceptional Madhubani art and honored Dulari Devi’s journey. Dulari Devi, who hails from a fisherman community with no traditional ties to painting, rose to fame through her passion for Madhubani art. Despite facing numerous challenges—including being abandoned by her husband at 16, losing her child, and working as a domestic helper for 16 years—she persevered and became a celebrated artist. Her paintings often focus on social issues such as child marriage, AIDS, and female foeticide. To date, she has created over 10,000 paintings, showcased in more than 50 exhibitions across India, and trained over 1,000 students through organizations like the Mithila Art Institute and Seva Mithila Sansthan.
Sitharaman’s choice of saree on Budget Day is a regular feature that highlights India’s diverse textile heritage. In previous years, she has chosen sarees that represent various traditional fabrics and weaves. In 2019, she wore a pink Mangalgiri silk saree, while in 2020, she donned a yellow silk saree symbolizing hope. The 2021 Budget saw her in a red and white Pochampally silk saree, and in 2022, she wore a Bomkai saree from Odisha. For the 2023 Budget, she chose a red silk saree with black Kasuti embroidery from Karnataka, and in 2024, she opted for a blue Tussar silk saree with Kantha embroidery from West Bengal.