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Sitharaman's Budget day off-white silk saree is a tribute to Madhubani art

The saree she wore was made by Padma awardee Dulari Devi
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Nirmala Sitharaman today wore an off-white handloom silk saree with fish-themed embroidery and a golden border. Tribune photo: Tribune photo: Manas Ranjan
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Draped in an off-white handloom silk saree with fish-themed embroidery and a golden border, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman posed with the traditional "briefcase" photo outside her North Block office on Saturday.

She was accompanied by her team of officials before heading to meet President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhawan.

The saree she wore was made by Padma awardee Dulari Devi and is a tribute to Madhubani art. Madhubani art is known for its vibrant colors and is a traditional folk art form of Bihar. Dulari Devi learned the art form from her employer Karpoori Devi, who is an accomplished painter.

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Devi has made over 10,000 paintings, which have been displayed in more than 50 exhibitions. Sitharaman will present her eighth consecutive Budget, which she will deliver from a digital tablet enclosed in a traditional "bahi-khata" style pouch.

Her Budget for the fiscal year starting April 2025 (FY2025-26) marks the 14th consecutive Budget under the Narendra Modi government since 2014, including two interim Budgets presented ahead of the general elections in 2019 and 2024. She was appointed as the finance minister when Modi swept to power again in the 2019 election and presented her maiden Budget on July 5, 2019. She used a red cloth folder enclosed with a string and emblazoned with the national emblem to carry the Budget documents. The tradition of carrying the Budget briefcase was a British legacy.

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The word "Budget" originates from the French word "bougette", which means leather briefcase.

The "budget case" tradition started in the 18th century when the Chancellor of the Exchequer, or Britain's budget chief, was asked to "open the budget" while presenting his annual statement. In 1860, the then British budget chief William E Gladstone carried his papers in a red suitcase with the Queen's monogram in gold. The Budget briefcase came into being because Gladstone's speeches were extraordinarily long, and he needed a briefcase to carry his speech papers. With PTI inputs 

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