Commanding, yet kind. No-nonsense, yet affectionate. Pankaja Gopinath Munde is a city-bred girl who has forged the most strong and precious ties with Maharashtra’s rural belt. Thanks to her unstoppable dedication to raising the spirit of the marginalised in the rural sector especially, she literally fits into the category of a reformer. Cheers to this newly elected member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council!
By Andrea CostaBir

Pankaja tai, as this charming and robust political personality is affectionately referred to, is looked upon as the big sister among her followers. Honestly, she’s the kind of girl anyone would love to have as their sister. She’s vibrant, large-hearted, kind, laughs dil khol ke, is full of masti and courage in equal measure, and she has a fiery yet resilient mindset that has helped her conquer varied challenges.

Loving and caring, she speaks up ALL THE TIME and it seems like she doesn’t know fear… But considering her chequered political career, and the strife she has faced in her professional and personal life, she surely must know what fear is. But fear doesn’t stop this lovable warrior from fighting back with vigour, vanquishing her opponents with valour.

Pankaja is a name to reckon with in politics not only because of the illustrious legacy she inherited from her late politician father Gopinath Munde, a renowned Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stalwart, but also because she is dynamic and committed to helping people, especially women and children, live a better life.

As she journeys through the political labyrinth with purpose, perseverance and passion, we know she will continue to uplift those who need it the most.

Grit, passion and resilience have brought you to where you are today. Looking back, what ignited the spark that set you off on this journey? Also, what is it that keeps you going?
Passion is required to do anything. Even if you are cooking for your family, if you don’t cook with passion, you won’t be able to make the food tasty. The same goes for work. Unless you are putting your 100%, you cannot deliver your best.
When I look back, I see a lot of storms behind me. And for a second, I feel, okay, I am now standing out of the storm. But you never know, I may be entering another storm (laughs)! This is how my life has been. But it is not in my hand regarding how I will be portrayed in this world. There is so much social media, there are so many news channels.
And not all of them run on facts. They have their own sources. So fighting with their image of you is tough. However, in spite of all the waves pushing me back, I could still swim well in this environment. I don’t know whether I have got a distinction, but I have definitely passed with good marks.
…What keeps me going? I have seen a lot since my childhood. Most of it has been very good. Along with this, I have also experienced very unusual incidents and stress. But what keeps me going is people’s need for me to be there.
Whether I am going for darshan to Siddhi Vinayak temple or to some public meeting, random people who have nothing to do with me, call out, saying, ‘Tai. Tai Saheb. All the best to you. You will become this… You will become that…’ You know, this keeps me going. This most innocent blessing.
It gives me energy. It makes me aware that I am wanted; I am required; I am useful. Ultimately, it is the people who keep me going.

Are there lessons you’ve learnt from mistakes or failures in your career? Have they helped you move forward?
Life is a lesson. Every minute is a learning experience for me. Failure has made me larger than what I am as it has connected me with so many people. And they have given me so much support. Those failures were actually good for me. I was comfortable not being in power. I was not under any pressure to perform. I concentrated totally on making a difference through social work. Political failure made me more active in social work. It made me more brave about expressing my opinions. And that has made me move forward.
People’s support is a very important nutrient to move ahead. Even if you are wearing the mightiest crown, but people don’t approve of you wearing that crown, you cannot move ahead. Hence, it is very important to be supported by people. I went through a phase where I was unable to express myself well. I felt I was not getting good support and the fight was tough. But I did not give up.
…Maybe, not giving up also helps.

Which quality defines you as a leader?
I am fearless. I definitely care about what transpires in my followers’ minds about me, but I am fearless about what will happen to me.
My fearlessness makes me a leader.
Also, I am very kind to people. And I am not selfish. I don’t know whether these characteristics make me a leader or not, but this is what I am: fearless, kind, unselfish.
This might sound like I am praising myself, but what I am trying to say is that if I am fearful of what will happen to me, then that will make me a fearful and unkind person. But when I do things for the people I am leading which will benefit them, then I take a fearless decision.
And I am very kind to not-so-privileged people, but not to the needs of politicians or privileged people.
If there is a situation where I have to make a decision which will benefit me, but which is not benefitting others, then I will not take that decision. Rather, I will face the loss but not put people in danger for my motive. That’s why I can say I am not selfish.

Climbing the ladder of achievement requires strong roots. Tell us a little about your professional network and support system.
I have always said this: The bigger the tree, the deeper the roots. To quote Swami Vivekananda: ‘The more difficult the struggle, the greater the victory’.
Definitely, my roots and support system is the goodwill that my father created. This will sound dramatic but when my father passed away, somebody played a speech of his on the mobile for me. He said: ‘I am in politics to become the voice of the deprived.’ I heard that line and felt it was a divine message for me.
My people are actually ready to die for me, which as you know has happened, but I will never support this kind of action. But definitely, this kind of love motivates me to do anything for them.
My support system is also my team who has been with me for the last 22 years. I always tell them: ‘You would like to benefit with me. I would like to benefit with you, from the strength you give me. But our focus should never have a selfish motive’. I am very straightforward with my team. I will not give them false promises and say: ‘Oh yes, I will do this, I will get you the moon’. People sometimes tell me that I should make false promises to get ahead. But I will not.
My support system is also my mom, sisters and my son. They are always there for me. When I am doing good, they criticize me. But when I am not doing too good, they create a protective wall around me. Especially my youngest sister Yashashree, who is a lawyer. She will keep fighting for me and with me all my life. My middle sister Pritam is very calm, but very strong headed.
She stands by me like a strong pillar. My son has become my philosopher, advisor and everything. My mother worries endlessly for me and us all…
My support system is also myself because you need to be positive in life. If you are pessimistic, you cannot do much for people. I am a strong believer of higher energies, positive energies, and karma. I also believe in getting out of the tunnel always. So whenever any situation arises, even my dad used to say, ‘Whatever happens, even if it’s an earthquake, Pankaja will be the calm and composed person.’ I am the best disaster management person. If something happens, even a blast happens next door, I will be like, okay, it has happened, now what? How do we help this situation? This is how I work.
Truly, my support system is the whole universe around me. Those who wish good for me, are my support system. Those who don’t wish good for me, they are to be given credit also because to prove them wrong is also fun sometimes! This is how life works, this is how tough competitions work. But no matter how much some people have harmed me, I do not wish anyone bad. Being positive is the biggest survival tool.

What advice would you give a young woman who wants to follow a similar path?
Any path a woman takes up, she has to face extra struggle as compared to a man because she has to manage a lot of things. And she is questioned about a lot of things. Men, however, are exempted from bringing up the children; taking care of the house, the family. And then if a woman is in a career which has a lot of attention, stardom and fame, she has to be even more careful.
But now the world is changing. Women are thinking of themselves as equal to men. Also, the new generation (around 20 years of age) of men are evolving. All these kids I see today, they treat each other without keeping their gender in mind. Their rights and wrongs also are the same, which is good. I only feel the new generation should learn to deal with the distractions/ addictions they have around them, as that causes depression. If they pass that phase, they will do wonders.
Today, there is so much opportunity. But you have to work hard to achieve whatever you want. People try once or twice and get depressed. But to achieve something, you have to try 100 times. Practice is important, it makes you perfect.