Then Defence Minister, now Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget speech was most anticipated. The lady of the moment arrived in Parliament with a red cloth folder in hand. Derived from the ‘bahi khaatha’, a traditional Indian accounting notebook tied with a string, the national emblem on it in gold. A woman at the helm was carrying the precious papers holding the country’s vanity and sanity inside it.
Not a Khadiwadi, not a Gandhiwadi, nor a Mylapore maami but it’s the Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman and the name says it all. Sitharaman didn’t bring a ladies’ handbag, a kerchief, or a phone sling either. She took off in warm yellow, gold-bordered saree, simple and elegant as always. Sitharaman smiled a little more widely than she usually does.
With the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi branding the kurta and jacket as a power suit, there’s something attractive about the BJP wardrobe which is a political statement of the party. Sitharaman remains a well-dressed, minimally decorative, political leader. She is a moderate, her sarees say so and demeanor says so. From Kanjeevarams to Gadhwals she has it all and her sarees don’t scream, glare nor take away her firmness as a political leader. If you are looking for one more reason to wear a saree let Nirmala Sitharaman be your influencer.
