Union budget speeches: India
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content.
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Some historical highlights
A BRIEF CASE FOR BUDGET TRAVELLERS
The Times of India Jul 11 2014
Longest speech
The record for the longest Budget speech-is held by an NDA FM, Jaswant Singh, who clocked 2 hours, 13 minutes in 2003.
Excluding a four-minute break, in 2014, FM Arun Jaitley spoke for 2 hours, 10 minutes.
References to self
New FM scores 204 but lags behind PC in `I'-Q Arun Jaitley spoke over 16,000 words in his speech, of which `I' figured 204 times, shows an analysis of his speech using online tool WriteWords. Every 81st word Jaitley used was an `I'. But the FM with the highest `I'-Q was P Chidambaram who is first, second, third, fourth and fifth in the list of FMs fond of the first person singular. According to an analysis of 67 previous Budgets (not including interim ones), Chidambaram used `I' with the highest frequency in 2013-14 ¬ once every 55 words.
This frequency was lower in Chidambaram's earlier stints as FM, but not by a wide margin. In 2005, 2007 and 2008, he used `I' once every 59 words. His 1997 speech was more modest, but by only one word. Jaitley actually comes a distant 19th in this list of 67 speeches.
The rather self-effacing Manmohan Singh used `I' only once every 87 words in his landmark 1991 Budget. But the least I-inclined of all FMs was Jawaharlal Nehru ¬ he used `I' only once every 276 words.
Fashion statements
The Times of India Feb 27 2015
Nandini Sengupta
With his bow tie, dark suit, fob chain and sideburns, James Wilson looked every inch the Victorian gentleman when he presented India's first budget on April 7, 1860 in London. His wardrobe became a template for many other FMs. Sir R K Shanmukham Chetty presented Independent India's first budget in an elegant suit on November 26, 1947.John Mathai, who laid down the roadmap for the Planning Commission on February 28, 1950, was even nattier in a three-piece. But the suit was soon ousted by the now Indian menswear classic -the bandhgala. TT Krishnamachari wore a grey one in 1957, Morarji Desai did a pin-striped version in 1968, and Rajiv Gandhi looked smart in a blue grey bandhgala in 1987. More recently Manmohan Singh in the 90s, Yashwant Sinha in the noughties and Pranab Mukherjee in 2012 have all gone for this chic staple.
Of course there have been notable exceptions to the bandhgala brigade like P Chidambaram in crisp white shirt and veshti and VP Singh in his sherwani.In his last outing, FM Arun Jaitley opted for the Nehru jacket. Will he be making a style statement this B-day?
The evolution of budget power dressing
Feb 27 2015
Nandini Sengupta
Independent India's first budget was presented by R K Shanmukham Chetty in elegant pinstripes at 5 pm on November 26, 1947. John Mathai, who presented the budget that laid down the roadmap for the Planning Commission on February 28, 1950, wore a three-piece grey suit with tie for the big B-day .
But the suit's popularity soon waned, and it was replaced in budgetday wardrobes by the reigning king of Indian men's formal wear -the bandhgala.
Tiruvellore Thattai Krishnamachari wore a grey one to present the budget on May 15, 1957; Morarji Desai wore a pin-striped one on February 29, 1968 and Rajiv Gandhi looked dashing in a blue grey bandhgala on February 28, 1987.More recently Manmohan Singh in the 90s, Yashwant Sinha in the noughties and Pranab Mukherjee in 2012 have all gone for this `national costume'. “It's the male counterpart of the sari, it spells powerful, formal and safe,“ says fashion designer Rohit Bal. “It's elegant and hides flaws beautifully.
What the safari suit used to be in the 70s and 80s, the bandhgala is now. It's a power staple.“
What works in its favour is its versatility and global appeal. It's easy to embellish a bandhgala and many FMs have done so, sometimes with a pocket square a la CD Deshmukh in the early 50s or with a fob chain which has been Pranab Mukherjee's style contribution in recent years. Says fashion designer Ra ghavendra Rathore: “The bandhgala is a representation of the most classic look of Indian menswear tailoring, so classic that it has now been globally accepted as a staple for any gentleman's wardrobe. The formality that it exudes is crisp and to the point, like the budget that is being delivered. Inspired by the `royal court prince jacket', it has evolved systematically to compete with its counterpart -the two button formal western suit,“ he adds.
Of course there have been notable exceptions to the bandhgala brigade. P Chidambaram in crisp white shirt and veshti stands out among a sea of budget-day bandhgalas. As does VP Singh in his sherwani, pyjama and cap. Others like Jaswant Singh and current FM Arun Jaitley in his last outing opted for the Nehru jacket while Indira Gandhi, the only woman finance minister to present a budget on February 28, 1970, wore a silk sari and grey shawl for the occasion. Interestingly, although a staple for the political classes, the Gandhi cap has not been ubiquitous to budget-day wardrobes.
Among the few who patronized it were Morarji Desai and YB Chavan.
So what should new-age FMs wear on the national day of number crunching in the years ahead? “A well-cut Jodhpuri bandhgala teamed with pants and a subtle pocket scarf to complete the well-groomed dapper look,” says Rathore. “The bandhgala jacket has always been worn with all its buttons closed, giving it an extremely formal feel. However, the next generation of politicians could leave the first two buttons open and wear a charming pocket scarf.” Fellow designer Rohit Bal talks of embellishments like “embroidery on the collar, buttons or even a brooch” to cut through the overwhelming formality of the occasion.
Key words that indicate shifting priorities
See four graphics.
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The Times of India
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The Times of India
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The Times of India
The Times of India
Finance Ministers (who presented Budgets)
1947-2014
See two graphics.
In 67 years of Independence, 22 men and a woman laid out our fiscal destiny through 83 budget speeches. But some did it more than others. So who had the maximum say over the way we lived, worked and played?
Indpaedia’s note: Mr Arun Jaitley assumed charge as Finance Minister in mid-2015 and had, till Feb 2017, presented the 2016 and 2017 budgets, taking the total to 23 men and a woman.
