As the nation’s attention turned to Parliament for the presentation of Union Budget 2026, a quiet yet striking tribute was taking shape hundreds of kilometres away. In Amroha, young artist Zuhaib Khan sat with charcoal and paper, sketching a powerful portrait inspired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, marking a historic day in India’s parliamentary journey. Zuhaib’s charcoal artwork reflects more than a face.
Charcoal sketch ahead of the presentation of Budget 2026 | WATCH
Union Budget 2026
With today’s presentation, Sitharaman equals former Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s tally of nine budgets and moves closer to the long-standing record of Morarji Desai, who presented ten budgets across two stints. Appointed India’s first full-time woman Finance Minister in 2019, she has delivered eight consecutive budgets so far including an interim one in 2024 making her run one of the most consistent in recent history.
Ahead of the Budget, Sitharaman followed tradition by meeting President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan, where she was offered dahi-cheeni as a symbol of good luck. Dressed in a magenta silk saree and carrying the Budget tablet in a red pouch bearing the national emblem, she was accompanied by senior finance ministry officials, including Minister of State Pankaj Chaudhary and Chief Economic Advisor Dr V Anantha Nageswaran.
India’s Budget tradition has evolved significantly since the first one was presented by R K Shanmukham Chetty in 1947 from evening announcements to the now-standard 11 am February 1 presentation. Yet, as Zuhaib’s charcoal lines suggest, some things remain timeless: the weight of history, the symbolism of leadership, and the power of art to freeze a national moment in black and white.
