Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, 65, created history when she eloquently presented her eighth consecutive budget on a day my mind was on anything but our blessed taxes—my son was getting married the next morning, and I had far more important concerns to deal with.
However, once the pheras (wedding rounds) were done, and I could breathe again, I overheard some corporate invitees animatedly discussing the long-term implications of Vasooli Tai’s budget. She had called it a response to “people’s voices”. She didn’t specify which people—the aam aadmi, oops, the common man? Or, the people in Bihar? Madamji was clear—it was a dream budget “by the people and for the people’’—yes, even those of us who don’t live in Delhi and Bihar. In fact, the reaction to Nirmala’s budget was so enthusiastic that she was soon trending on social media and being hailed as ‘Maa Lakshmi’.
“The economy was in the doldrums,” Nirmala declared, swishing the pallu of her rich ivory-and-gold sari. Members of the opposition did not squirm, they were too busy sniggering. There was definitely jubilation in one particular income bracket—those who earn upto Rs12 lakh a year, azadi from tax! That qualifies as a biggie and social media went to town with clever memes and Bollywood dialogues galore, hailing Nirmala.
Nirmala Sitharaman | Josekutty Panackal
Devi—her vision! Her wisdom! For one brief moment, our Nirmala, with a staggering Rs50,65,345 crore budget outlay, out-memed Urvashi Rautela, a minor actor boasting about the Rs105 crore box office figures of a dreadful film titled Daaku Maharaaj. It was time to dance to ‘Dabidi Dibidi’—the grotesque item song from the film that had gone viral. ‘Not just swords, even your gaze can kill me’… goes the song. Nirmala’s critics improvised on the lyrics with their own version… ‘not just taxes, even your policies can kill us’. Fans crowed about the tax-free threshold and brought out the dhols.
“The growth slowdown is a temporary dip,” Nirmala predicted. A brave prediction, given the ground reality. Gold prices hit a new high two days later, trading at 084,500 per 10 gram. I silently thanked my stars for sparing me the pain. The minimal gold at our wedding was old! Bought decades ago when every middle-class family wisely invested in gold ornaments for their toddler’s wedding. Or else, in India, a family’s izzat is frequently and directly linked to the amount of gold adorning a bride in the mandap.
Strangely, with every budget Nirmala presents, analysts insist it will be her last one—they are always in a hurry to write her off and often announce the name of her successor while she is still presenting.
Interestingly, Nirmala’s sun sign is Leo. And Leo women are known to be tough, aggressive and ambitious. They remain undaunted and out there, fighting back fiercely when under fire.
Over the years, Nirmala hasn’t flinched or blinked no matter what the provocation—be it on the professional or personal front.
As for me, I love tracking her budget saris, from the very first watermelon pink Mangalagiri silk at her debut budget presentation in 2019, to the yellow Pochampally, followed by a beautiful Bomkai. Urvashi has her tacky ‘bombshell lewks’, but it is Nirmala who serves looks with her handcrafted budget saris.
“Ab khush ho na, sab? [Is everyone happy?],’’ she asked the nation. “Bahut khush” [Very happy], we chorused. And I wondered if the late Arun Jaitley, her brilliant predecessor, was having the last laugh in heaven.
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