As the media assessed chief minister Devendra Fadnavis's first year in office that he completed on October 31, dna tried to explore what this year meant for his family members. Amruta Fadnavis throws light on the changes brought about in their lives after her husband was sworn in as the chief minister.
Various media houses may have given varying marks in his first-year progress card after completing one year in office, but the three most important women in his life — his mother, wife and daughter — have given him 100 per cent, despite the three being at the receiving end.
Amruta told dna that everything has changed. "We are celebrating our first Diwali in Mumbai but Aai (Devendra's mother Sarita Gangadharrao Fadnavis), Divija (daughter) or me hardly get any chance to meet him at leisure due to his busy schedule."
When asked what has changed in the last one year, Amruta said: "He is always busy; but before October 31 last year, at least he used to have breakfast with Aai, read newspapers and discuss a few things. He used to make it a point to meet Divija at least for 5-10 minutes before she went to bed, but now neither Aai can have breakfast with him nor he meets Divija before she goes to sleep."
Continuing to talk about the changes, she said, "He is a workaholic and he had been quite busy months before the elections last year. But still he used to relax for some time and listen to Hindi film music and old Marathi songs. He used to chat with us and even crack jokes. But we miss all that now. It's just work, work and more work for him now. He enjoys his work; in fact, to relieve stress, he works more — finding solutions to problems is relaxation for him. That is the reason I find him thinking all the time when he is not busy doing something."
When asked what changes she's seen in him with the change in his lifestyle and routine, Amruta said: "As it is, his sleep is reduced to almost four hours a day and this has resulted in him putting on some weight. He has reduced food intake but he can't devote any time for exercise. Earlier, he used to eat whatever he liked but not anymore. He has controlled his diet."
In case of any urgency, Mrs Fadnavis sends an SMS to the chief minister. "I send an SMS and he replies whenever he gets the time. But when it is very urgent, I call up his personal assistant and he puts me through to him."
What about Diwali Padwa gifts? "Normally, I go to purchase his clothes. If I remind him of gifts, he would either tell me to go or to send someone for shopping. Rather than sending somebody else, it is good that I do the shopping myself."
CM sleeps for 4 hrs a day
When dna asked Devendra Fadnavis as to what was his Diwali Padwa gift, he replied in a lighter vein: 'Please don't ask my wife or else she would be reminded of the gift." He said he himself is the biggest gift for his wife. Recalling the days before he became the chief minister, Fadnavis said: "I used to roam around in Mumbai with friends till 4am and used to sit by the sea at Nariman Point chatting with them. But now, I can't do that. Life has become guarded; but it is understandable." Fadnavis informed that he sleeps roughly for four hours a day. He has started a special diet programme of 38 days to reduce weight and so far he has lost eight kilograms.
