My children were a concern when I entered politics, as I had never been away from them during their childhood. I had to sit with them and explain what was happening, to which they reacted in the most supportive way, which gave me the necessary peace of mind to proceed. Otherwise, had I had to constantly worry about them at home, I could have never done it.

Also, I have a mother-in-law, and I make a point to call her every other day, telling her what is happening around me, so she does not feel neglected but rather, part of the team.
That is how I keep my team going and how I can combine all those roles.

With such a busy life, how do you keep your centre and energy?
Every day I wake up very early in the morning and do one hour of puja, or rather, of meditation. It gives me the focus, strength, concentration and clarity I need for the day. It is not about praying to a particular god, but rather connecting to that unseen force I was talking about. It goes back to my childhood, when one day I went to my father and told him I was utterly confused: I would hear him talk about Lord Balaji, Siva, Vishnu, Krishna and so on. There were so many gods! He told me I did not have to pray to any one of them in particular. He said that if there was a black spot on the wall and I believed it was God, then it would be God to me. So it is about my own conviction. And I connect to the idea of a larger unseen force.

... contd.