Apart from saying that it wouldn't be populist, no one is quite sure what exactly Arun Jaitley has cooking for the Union budget, which is set to be announced in 10 days' time. On Friday, however, the Union finance minister was seen stirring a large pot of halwa in his North Block office in the capital.
Jaitley was participating in the halwa ceremony, a long-standing tradition which marks the start of the process of printing the budget documents. The ritual involves preparing and serving the sweet dish to the entire staff, about a hundred employees of the Union finance ministry.
Once the ceremony is over, employees who are part of the budget-making process remain in a basement in North Block for the next 10 days. They will only resurface when the finance minister presents the budget in the Lok Sabha on February 29.
During this period, officials will not be allowed to use their mobile phones or any other form of communication in order to maintain secrecy.
With the halwa ceremony flagging off the countdown for this year's budget, social media speculated about what the finance minister has in store. Here's a selection.
Buy an annual Scroll Membership to support independent journalism and get special benefits.
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!