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Deepender Singh Hooda is a Lok Sabha MP from Rohtak, Haryana and is the son of Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the Haryana chief minister. He was elected at the age of 27 in October 2005

What does spirituality mean to you?
I would not describe myself as a very spiritual person, and my understanding of spirituality keeps changing over time, but I do try to be conscious of some essential questions. So I would equate spirituality with the learning taking place on the journey of life and how I would go about that journey; with the exploration of various aspects of my personality, with the process of understanding my mission and objectives in life, of figuring out how I want to go about achieving them; and more importantly, of how I could become a content person.

Do you believe you are guided and protected by a superior force?
I do not believe there is an external divine force influencing and moulding our lives. I am convinced we shape our own destiny and there is no such thing as a predestined life.

Do you believe you have a special mission or purpose in this life?
As a kid, as I come from a political family, people kept asking me if I would enter politics one day. And my answer was always adamant --- anything but that. I grew up seeing my father having so little time for the family, and so often dissatisfied because of the constraints and particulars of the political environment in the country. So the last thing I would have wanted was to go through the same. Instead, I became an academics over-achiever, joined Infosys as an engineer, then went for an MBA and joined American Airlines in the US. It was all well and fine on the surface, I was on a fast career track, but something was missing inside. After much inner torment I decided to go back to India and engage into politics. I did so because I realized there is such a thing as a higher purpose leading every individual on a particular path or direction. There is such a thing as a mission. And despite the many constraints and difficulties involved, having an opportunity to make a difference in the life of many felt and feels like the right purpose to me.

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