What would you consider the most obvious career choice for a politician’s kid? Politics, right? Wrong. Try model, or writer, actor or rapper and you are more likely to be correct. Meet Generation X of the political world that has broken the mould and is finding its own feet.
The youngest on the list is 22-year-old Tejaswini Chowdhury, who recently walked the ramp for JJ Valaya at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week. The daughter of Renuka Chowdhury, Minister of State for Women and Child Development says, “I am interested in politics in a very scientific way. I have just come out of my adolescence and getting to know the world of glamour.” The girl adds, “Modelling is a passion. I am more interested in media and how it impacts the life of people rather than being a politician.”
Twenty six-year-old Chirag Paswan, son of Ram Vilas Paswan, Minister of Chemicals & Fertilisers and Steel, is set to make a Bollywood debut in director Tanveer Khan’s movie 50:50 (working title). Ask him why he chose acting and he says, “I’ve been passionate about acting since I was a child. My dream was to see myself on that huge screen.” But unlike others, he hasn’t ruled out politics entirely. “Politics will happen but not now. My focus right now is to be an actor.”
Sonia Faleiro, 27-year-old journalist and the daughter of Eduardo Faleiro, a former union minister and former Rajya Sabha MP, is a well-respected name in the media. She wrote her first book, The Girl in 2006 and her second book on Mumbai’s bar dancers is due next year. When asked if there’s any ideological clash at home, she says, “None, I’m liberal, secular and support an activist government.”
{{/usCountry}}Sonia Faleiro, 27-year-old journalist and the daughter of Eduardo Faleiro, a former union minister and former Rajya Sabha MP, is a well-respected name in the media. She wrote her first book, The Girl in 2006 and her second book on Mumbai’s bar dancers is due next year. When asked if there’s any ideological clash at home, she says, “None, I’m liberal, secular and support an activist government.”
{{/usCountry}}Mukul Deora, the younger son of political stalwart Murli Deora, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas is an established rapper, singer and a music composer and has been rooted in the Mumbai music scene for sometime now.
Niret and Nikhil Alva, sons of Margaret Alva, are founders of MidiTech, a landmark in Indian television production. And of course, there’s Riteish Deshmukh, son of former Maharashtra CM, who is a familiar name in Bollywood.