“Why Politics?” This is something I get asked very often. Immediately followed by, ‘any of your family member into politics too?’ And, ‘how does your family feel about you being in politics?’ Yes, I know politics is not really anyone’s first choice as a career. The reasons vary – could be the time, workload, the intense public scrutiny, lack or almost reduced family life and privacy, income, and the almost negligible involvement of women in political landscape. There is also of course the negative perception around politics, that is a reason why many do not see it as a career option. Let me bust a few myths here:
Politicians put in long hours at work, like all professionals
Many people may feel that politicians ‘do nothing at all’, however, let me try and correct that by assuring you that politics is a 24x7, 365-days-a-year calling. It keeps us away from family for hours, and sometimes days. Still the perception of ‘useless netas’ remains. All these questions came to my mind too when I decided to test the waters in the political arena.
No, I do not come from a political family, far from it actually. My family was pretty uncertain about this call I took, but welcomed it with trepidation and reluctance. They are still coming to terms with the idea of me being in politics. Yet they support it totally and that allows me to put my energies into my chosen career.
Now coming to the moot question: why politics? Was it something I wanted to be in as a child? Nope, far from it, no parent at that time gave their child the choice of politics as a career option, for whatever reasons and apprehensions. Public policy, foreign, revenue and administrative services were a few that were seen as worthy career options which are closer to governance and policy making, but not front end politics. However, my entry into politics was a set of circumstances that made me want to contribute through participating in public dialogue and policy space. Post 26/11 a lot changed for me, and that was a catalyst for me to involve myself and give back to the society. I wanted to make the change that everyone keeps talking of, but no one wants to dirty their hands doing it. I was involved with an NGO that reached out to children to take them to schools, provide support classes as well as skills to be employable. Around the same time the Congress party was opening up, and through its affiliate youth wing, encouraging people to join the political system, which I did.
There are two ways one can choose to contribute to a party, and the ideology one stands for
One is electoral politics, which is seeking to contest under the party banner, after having shown commitment to the constituency from where a ticket is sought, by working there actively, gathering support from the residents by solving their problems.
The other is through active involvement in the organisation itself, by contributing to strengthen it through the various wings or departments. Of course both aren’t mutually exclusive; one can work for the organisation, and at the same time contest an election.
Politics has its own highs and lows too.
Public interaction, understanding people’s expectations, trying to frame policies that benefit the nation for generations to come, as well as experiencing first hand, the changes one wishes to see in the society are some of the highs of being in politics. The lows are lesser family time, trying to work in a system which can be extremely demanding, self-financing, fighting patriarchal mindsets of people who find it hard to accept independent minded, opinionated women coming from non political families as serious political contenders.
Every career choice is fraught with challenges, there is office politics to manage, there are KRAs, and it is the same with political parties too. There is more professional structuring coming into place now as more and more doors to politics are opening up. Even political parties are embracing talent coming from all sectors and professions not necessarily political.
There are many examples amongst us who have given up high flying careers to be a part of the changing political dynamics in the country. Many are also choosing to join as consultants, specialists and making politics as professional as never before.
While I work with the organisation as the Indian National Congress National Spokesperson, I do see myself contesting an election in the future. With an increased demand for talent, more civil society participation in public policy framing, and political engagement, we will soon see many more join politics.