Supriya seems to campaign like a natural. Calm and collected. The blistering heat, a power outage mid-speech, a squawking chicken alighting on the dais, politicians speechifying for way too long, schedule delays -- nothing is cause for fluster. Or sweat.
But politics, she says candidly, was not a field she eyed from the start. Though she is the only child of one of India's most powerful politicians, Supriya, who was brought up in the Peddar Road area of south Mumbai, and went to the relatively lesser known St Columba's School in Gamdevi, and subsequently Jai Hind College, did not consider politics as her future till recently.
Her entry into politics has been gradual and measured. She married businessman Sadanand Sule (son of B R Sule, former managing director, Mahindra and Mahindra), out of college (she took one year to make this decision and was seeing him during that time). They moved to California after marriage where Supriya studied water pollution at UC Berkley.
After subsequent postings in Indonesia and Singapore she came home to Mumbai and politics. She cut her teeth in rural service, managing schools for Adivasi children and working for empowerment of women.
Was your entry into politics planned? And how did it happen
No, not at all. I was just happy being a science student. That's why I did microbiology. I loved it.
You had so many choices before you. You could have chosen any profession or life you wanted. So why did you finally choose your father's profession? Why did you come back to India?
Family. And after coming back I have just loved my work.
What about the hurly-burly of politics appeals to you?
My work which I want to contribute. I want to improve education. And healthcare and livelihood.
How did you get on the road to politics?
I met somebody, through my father, who runs schools for nomadic tribes (Adivasi tribals). That was about seven years ago and I had just moved back from Singapore. In Satara. That really triggered it off.
Image: Flowers, sweets, saris and speeches at a housing colony on the southern edge of Pune city. Photograph: Sanjay Sawant.
Also see: No one comes asking for votes | Coverage: India Votes 2009
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