India, July 5 -- From the past five years, PM Modi was hell-bent on making India digital and competes with the globe. However, to my surprise, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman did not pose with the iconic briefcase, like her predecessors. In a departure from the tradition, she was seen holding a red cloth folder enclosed with a string and decorated with the national emblem, which was described by officials as the "Bahi Khata".

The Budget briefcase had been replaced by the traditional Bahi Khata in keeping with Indian tradition. If it symbolises the departure from the slavery of western thought, then we should not forget that we believed in Kingdoms and Slavery and it's the Britishers who taught us Democracy and introduced the Parliame...