Budget 2023 | Nirmala Sitharaman wears Dharwad Kasuti saree woven by women’s collective

The Ilkal handloom saree with Navalgund Kasuti work by the women of Arati Crafts Collective in Dharwad was handcrafted on the request of the Union govt

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman holding the Budget Papers at the North Block in New Delhi on Wednesday, February 01, 2023. | Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2023-24 wearing an Ilkal handloom saree with Navalgund Kasuti work done by the women of Dharwad district in Karnataka. Members of Arati Crafts Collective, in Narayanpur in Dharwad, handcrafted the saree on the request of the district administration.

The maroon handwoven Ilkal saree has chikka paras dhadi border. The Kasuti work includes images of a ratha, gopura, a peacock and a lotus.  | Photo Credit: R.V. MOORTHY

The maroon handwoven Ilkal saree has chikka paras dhadi border. The Kasuti work includes motifs of a ratha, gopura, a peacock and a lotus.

Arati Hiremath, founder of Arati Crafts, said that a group of women worked on the saree following instructions from district handloom development officer Syed Nayeem Ahmed who chose the group after Deputy Commissioner Gurudatt Hegde directed him to scout for a skilled women’s group.

“Union Minister Pralhad Joshi had taken a specimen to the Finance Minister a few months ago to show her the Kasuti with a request to support the unique craft,’‘ an official said. Later, the Union Government got in touch with the Dharwad district administration.

Arati Crafts has trained over 210 women in Kasuti craft over 30 years. The women members are given raw materials to take home. The collective procures finished products from the women and sells them in the open market.