My cook has power over me: Dikshit
12 May 2012 3:11 AM GMT
She might be the chief minister of the national capital for almost 15 years now and a powerful political personality, but Sheila Dikshit is, after all, a woman. And like most of us, she has weaknesses. Not many would know it, but Dikshit has a huge collection of saris in all varieties which she has collected over the years. ‘I have been wearing saris since I was 21. Over time, the freshness of the material goes, so does the colour and sheen. So there is always the temptation to buy more,’ she says, smiling.
Does she bargain? ‘I don’t go to shops where I can bargain,’ says Dikshit. Her choice of saris, she says, is very simple. Dikshit likes different materials but doesn’t wear nylon or synthetic. ‘I wear different prints and colours. It depends on my mood,’ she says. Her favourite style icons among politicians are Sonia Gandhi and Shivraj Patil. Â
What is power according to her? ‘You can’t define power. It could be the power of the mind like in social networking... or the power to bring about a change which is a bureaucrat’s or a politician’s power... my cook has power over me,’ she says, laughing.
The pressure of being in public life, says Dikshit, hasn’t taken a toll on family life. There are no regrets of missing out on time with family. ‘They don’t allow me to regret it. I have enough to do for myself,’ she says.
Dikshit has two sisters she is extremely close to and she often goes out with them or with friends. She says she does everything that women her age do. She is often spotted at exhibitions and movies, and eats out at restaurants and goes out shopping with friends and family. ‘I don’t carry the baggage of a chief minister. It is not a restraint for me,’ she stresses.
Dikshit loves eating. Be it vegetarian or non-vegetarian food. ‘I love Chinese, Mongolian and Sri Lankan cuisines’ she says. ‘I am very fond of cheese,’ she adds.
And does she cook at home? ‘No, I have never cooked in my life,’ she says.
Music helps the Delhi chief minister unwind. She loved the music of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. ‘I listen to a lot of Western classical, folk and Indian classical music,’ says Dikshit. She also reads a lot, but no chicklit for her. Currently, she is reading three books — The Thoughts of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Chanakya Chants, and India: What It Was When I Was a Child.
Dikshit is fond of movies and is often spotted at movie halls. Quiz her on her favourite film and she says she has too many. But she doesn’t enjoy the ones with too much violence. And who is her favourite actor, Shah Rukh Khan or Shahid Kapoor? ‘I like them because of the roles they portray. My preference keeps changing. Hrithik [Roshan] was super in Jodhaa Akbar. I also like Dilip Kumar for the characters he played,’ she adds.
Dikshit also has a huge collection of handcrafted artifacts. She has quite a collection of folk paintings from Madhubani in Bihar, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and brass statues from Bastar in Chhatisgarh. She picks them up wherever she travels and also from some shops in Delhi. ‘The haats have wonderful stuff too at very reasonable prices,’ she says.
Delhi is often dubbed as the fashion capital of India. What is fashion for Dikshit? ‘It is a personal thing and depends on factors like age and personality,’ she says. Would she walk the ramp someday? ‘I don’t have the qualifications to be there,’ she adds, laughing.
After so many years in politics, has she thought about life post retirement? Not as yet, admits Dikshit. ‘When it comes I will face it. It doesn’t bother me,’ she says.
Does she bargain? ‘I don’t go to shops where I can bargain,’ says Dikshit. Her choice of saris, she says, is very simple. Dikshit likes different materials but doesn’t wear nylon or synthetic. ‘I wear different prints and colours. It depends on my mood,’ she says. Her favourite style icons among politicians are Sonia Gandhi and Shivraj Patil. Â
What is power according to her? ‘You can’t define power. It could be the power of the mind like in social networking... or the power to bring about a change which is a bureaucrat’s or a politician’s power... my cook has power over me,’ she says, laughing.
The pressure of being in public life, says Dikshit, hasn’t taken a toll on family life. There are no regrets of missing out on time with family. ‘They don’t allow me to regret it. I have enough to do for myself,’ she says.
Dikshit has two sisters she is extremely close to and she often goes out with them or with friends. She says she does everything that women her age do. She is often spotted at exhibitions and movies, and eats out at restaurants and goes out shopping with friends and family. ‘I don’t carry the baggage of a chief minister. It is not a restraint for me,’ she stresses.
Dikshit loves eating. Be it vegetarian or non-vegetarian food. ‘I love Chinese, Mongolian and Sri Lankan cuisines’ she says. ‘I am very fond of cheese,’ she adds.
And does she cook at home? ‘No, I have never cooked in my life,’ she says.
Music helps the Delhi chief minister unwind. She loved the music of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. ‘I listen to a lot of Western classical, folk and Indian classical music,’ says Dikshit. She also reads a lot, but no chicklit for her. Currently, she is reading three books — The Thoughts of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Chanakya Chants, and India: What It Was When I Was a Child.
Dikshit is fond of movies and is often spotted at movie halls. Quiz her on her favourite film and she says she has too many. But she doesn’t enjoy the ones with too much violence. And who is her favourite actor, Shah Rukh Khan or Shahid Kapoor? ‘I like them because of the roles they portray. My preference keeps changing. Hrithik [Roshan] was super in Jodhaa Akbar. I also like Dilip Kumar for the characters he played,’ she adds.
Dikshit also has a huge collection of handcrafted artifacts. She has quite a collection of folk paintings from Madhubani in Bihar, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and brass statues from Bastar in Chhatisgarh. She picks them up wherever she travels and also from some shops in Delhi. ‘The haats have wonderful stuff too at very reasonable prices,’ she says.
Delhi is often dubbed as the fashion capital of India. What is fashion for Dikshit? ‘It is a personal thing and depends on factors like age and personality,’ she says. Would she walk the ramp someday? ‘I don’t have the qualifications to be there,’ she adds, laughing.
After so many years in politics, has she thought about life post retirement? Not as yet, admits Dikshit. ‘When it comes I will face it. It doesn’t bother me,’ she says.
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