Well, ‘Daddy’ is the party boss and the party HQ is in the house, but if Sule refers to the party like some Soviet-style apparatchik, the blurred lines are made agonisingly clear at the festive venue of her meeting in the courtyard of the Shri Samarth Vigyan Mandal, a school for the deaf and dumb.

The Pawars have kept the programme—the donation of an ambulance—non-political, keenly aware of the pitfalls of thrusting a dynastic heir on the nascent party just yet.

As trumpets blow and drums roll, Sule is ushered into the colourful pandal and on to the dais by women in traditional Narayanpet and Paithani sarees. She gathers the jumbo-sized garlands in mock horror and chastises all those who fall at her feet with stern warnings.

As the speeches hail her father’s and her contribution, Sule is visibly self-conscious and embarrassed by the plaudits, but openly irked only when an over-enthusiastic functionary praises the Pawar family for carrying on the dreams of “Pandit Nehru and Priya-darshini Indira”.

“I have come here with the hope we can make a difference,” she says to the appreciative crowd. Two teachers, Jyoti Bhonsle and Urmila Kamble, graciously translate Marathi for us. “It is a shame that after 60 years of Independence, we still struggle for food, education and good health,” Sule says, reminding them of the NCP-Congress divide. She outlines her objectives for development and empowerment—her twin goals of education and promotion of self-help groups.

“Progress begins at home, so it is important to ensure the mother participates in community development. When she cooks for the mid-day meals, she not only earns a living but also ensures the children go to school, as they are taken care of there. It is women and the youth who will carry on our dreams,” she ends her speech, and there is a collective buzz of approval from the attentive and orderly gathering.

... contd.