‘Took a month to make the saree Sitharaman wore on Budget Day,’ says Dulari Devi

MADHUBANI(Bihar): Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman paid tribute to Madhubani art by wearing a saree gifted by Padma Shri awardee Dulari Devi while presenting the Budget on Saturday.

Devi, a renowned Madhubani artist from Bihar, met Sitharaman during the finance minister’s visit to the Mithila Art Institute in Madhubani for a credit outreach event. During their meeting, Devi presented the saree to Sitharaman and requested that she wear it on Budget Day.

While speaking to ANI on Saturday, Dulari Devi shared that she was happy to see the finance minister wearing the saree gifted by her.

“Sitharaman ji came to Mithila Chitrakala Sansthan, and the saree that was gifted to her was made by me. It is called Banglori silk. I had requested her to wear the saree. It took me a month to make it. I am very happy that she wore the saree today. It is a great honor for Bihar and the country,” she told ANI.

#WATCH | Madhubani, Bihar: Padma awardee Dulari Devi, who gifted a saree to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, says, “Sitharaman ji came to Mithila Chitrakala Sansthan, the saree that was gifted to her was made by me, it is called Banglori silk. I had requested her to… https://t.co/iwEfWHyd5i pic.twitter.com/q3piHTO5d4

— ANI (@ANI) February 1, 2025

The saree she chose to wear was an elegant off-white piece with intricate golden work. Sitharaman paired it with a red blouse and a shawl while carrying her signature ‘bahi-khata’–a tablet wrapped in red cloth with a golden national emblem.

Dulari Devi’s journey to becoming a celebrated Madhubani artist is nothing short of inspiring. She comes from a fishing community, which traditionally was not involved in painting. However, she developed a passion for the art form while working for Karpoori Devi, an accomplished Madhubani painter.

#UnionBudget2025 | Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is wearing a saree as a tribute to Madhubani Art and the skill of Padma awardee Dulari Devi.

Dulari Devi is a 2021 Padma Shri awardee. When FM visited Madhubani for a credit outreach activity at Mithila Art Institute,… pic.twitter.com/Q9ur6abaNt

— ANI (@ANI) February 1, 2025

Despite facing multiple hardships–being abandoned by her husband at 16, losing her child, and working as a domestic helper for 16 years–Dulari Devi never gave up.

Her paintings also spread awareness of important social issues like child marriage, AIDS, and female foeticide. Over the years, she has created 10,000 paintings and displayed them in over 50 exhibitions across India. She has also trained more than 1,000 students through organizations like the Mithila Art Institute and Seva Mithila Sansthan, ensuring that the traditional art form thrives for future generations.

This is not the first time Nirmala Sitharaman has used her saree to showcase India’s textile heritage. Over the years, her choice of sarees on Budget Day has celebrated various traditional weaves and fabrics. (ANI)