Union Budget 2024: Nirmala Sitharaman dons blue sari with Bengali kantha embroidery

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made a striking statement with her attire at Budget 2024, sending a loud and clear “vocal for local” message.

Clad in a stunning blue and cream-coloured silk sari adorned with traditional kantha embroidery, her sartorial choice echoed her previous Budget Day ensembles and underscored her well-known appreciation for Indian textiles.

Kantha, a time-honoured embroidery technique that originated in Bangladesh (earlier known as East Bengal), involves stitching together layers of vintage saris or dhotis, creating a quilt-like effect with intricate patterns and motifs painstakingly crafted through running stitches. It is known as one of the oldest styles of embroidery in India.

Interestingly, the art of Kantha, is derived from the Sanskrit word kantho, for rags.

Union Minister of @FinMinIndia and Corporate Affairs @nsitharaman along with Ministers of State Dr. Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad and Pankaj Chaudhary called on President Droupadi Murmu at @rashtrapatibhvn before presenting the Union #Budget2024#ViksitBharatBudget pic.twitter.com/6zTpQqmu5Y

— PIB India (@PIB_India) February 1, 2024

This “vocal for local” message echoes through Sitharaman’s past Budget Day attire as well. Last year, she donned a handwoven red ilkal sari featuring Navalagunda embroidery, a special gift from fellow minister Pralhad Joshi. Notably, the chosen embroidery was hand-stitched onto the sari specifically for the occasion.

Off-white or cream seems to be a firm favourite for the Finance Minister, who is often seen sporting this hue. In 2021, she opted for a red and off-white pochampally sari, while 2022 saw her in a rusty brown Bomkai sari. In 2020, a vibrant yellow silk sari with a thin blue border graced the occasion, and her debut Budget in 2019 featured a pink Mangalgiri sari with a golden border.

Beyond the handwoven wonders, another stylistic constant of Sitharaman’s budget presentations is the iconic red book. In her first budget, the red book took the form of a traditional bahi khata. However, since 2021, the budget has gone paperless, with the Minister embracing a red-covered tablet to house the digital budget documents.

With the Interim Budget 2024 marking the final budget of the Modi government’s second term, all eyes are on Sitharaman’s policy pronouncements. However, her sartorial choice has once again sparked conversation, highlighting her commitment to promoting Indian textiles and resonating with the “vocal for local” spirit.

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