Nirmala Sitharaman’s journey from being a saleswoman to becoming India’s Finance Minister has been an interesting one. She was given the important ministry for her sharp acumen, dedication and talent. She was born on August 18, 1959, in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, in a middle-class family. Her father Narayan Sitharaman worked in the Railways and her mother Savitri Sitharaman was a homemaker.

She completed her BA in Economics from Seethalakshmi Ramaswamy College in Tiruchirappalli. Then she pursued a master's from JNU in 1984. She has also done a PhD in dissertation on the Indo-European textile trade.

On her 63rd birth anniversary, here are some interesting facts about Nirmala Sitharaman

A saleswoman in London:

Before venturing into public life full time, Nirmala Sitharaman lived with her husband Parakala Prabhakar in London where she started out as a saleswoman. For a short duration, she worked for Habitat, a home décor store in London. According to media reports, she recorded the highest sales during Christmas.

Thriving career in London: She eventually joined PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) where she worked as the Senior Manager (Research and Analysis). She was also associated with the BBC for some time.

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Returned to India in 1991: Sitharaman returned from London to India in 1991 and became the BJP’s spokesperson under party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad. She started rising within ranks after 2006 when Nitin Gadkari was the BJP President.

Husband’s family supports Congress: Sitharaman married Parakala Prabhakar in 1986. She first met him during her college days at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Prabhakar hails from a pro-Congress family. His father served as a minister in the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh. Besides his mother was also a Congress MLA from the state.

School for the underprivileged: Sitharaman returned to India as she didn’t want to raise her child in London. After coming back to India and settling with her family in Hyderabad, she established a school for underprivileged children in the city clubbed with a policy research centre.

Served at National Commission for Women: Sitharaman dedicated herself to the cause of women empowerment during her stint at the National Commission for Women from 2003 to 2005.

Portfolios before getting into the Union cabinet: Before being inducted into the Union cabinet, she served as Minister of State (Independent charge) for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. She also handled the finance and corporate affairs portfolios as the Minister of State.

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First full-time woman Finance Minister: She is the second woman to hold the post but the first full-time woman Finance Minister. Before her, only Indira Gandhi held the post for a brief period between 1970 and 71. She looked after the finance portfolio while serving as the Prime Minister.

Fond of music: Sitharaman likes classical music and holds a good collection of classical songs. She is also an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna.

(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)