The eloquence of Telugu poetry was draped in the sartorial elegance of a cream silk sari with Madhubani artwork from Bihar as finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman picked a gift from Padma Shri awardee Dulari Devi to make her trademark Budget-morning style statement.
“I am very happy to know that the finance minister chose to honour Madhubani art on this special occasion,” Dulari Devi, who teaches at Darbhanga’s National Institute of Mithila Art, told TOI.
The sari Sitharaman donned to present her eighth consecutive Union Budget in Parliament was gifted to her on behalf of the institute when she visited Darbhanga for a credit outreach event on Nov 29 last year.
Dulari Devi said it took her a month to complete the artwork reflecting the traditions of the Mithila region. The border of the sari features floral motifs and fish in muted colours.
Madhubani art, also known as Mithila art, is a painting style that originated in Bihar. Traditionally practised by women, Madhubani is characterised by intricate motifs and designs with distinct outlines.
One of the sidelights of Budget since Sitharaman became Union finance minister has been her choice of saris and verses to embellish her speech. In 2019, she wore a pink Mangalagiri silk with a gold border. A Bomkai from Odisha was her pick in 2022. For Budget 2024, she was in a blue Tussar silk saree with Kantha embroidery from Bengal. As for verse, she quoted Telugu poet Gurajada Apparao.
Dulari Devi has fond memories of meeting the FM where she gifted the sari that was the cynosure of all eyes on Saturday. “That day, I also displayed a painting honouring Ram ji and Sita ji. She (FM) asked me to describe what the artwork meant. I told her that dhanush (bow) symbolised Ram Ji and shringar (adornment), represented through a nose ring, stood for Sita Ji,” she said.
Asked how the artist learnt Madhubani, Dulari said, “I belong to the fishermen community and was working as a labourer. Padma Shri Mahasundari Devi Ji and another renowned artist, Karpoori Devi, were training women. I requested them, saying, ‘Chachi, teach me too’.”