When Sheila Dikshit got a marriage proposal during DTC bus ride

Nearly four months before her unexpected death, Sheila Dikshit, the most loved and popular chief minister of Delhi, in January came out with her autobiography - Citizen Delhi: My Times, My Life. The book, which shed lights on Dikshit's decade-long political career, also informs netizens about some intimate moments of her life which only a few people would know about. Those lesser known facts include the love story of her life which is no less than a Bollywood film.

Speaking openly about the love of her life, the Congresswoman, in her autobiography, revealed how an introvert Delhi lass fell in love with an extrovert 5'11 feet tall handsome hunk, how she got a marriage proposal from him during their ride on a DTC bus and how she had to wait for 2 long years to make him the partner of her lifelong journey.

ALSO READ | 'Why I will always keep recording of my last Sheila Dikshit interview'

In Citizen Delhi, Sheila wrote it is not that she fell in love at first sight. She met Vinod at a time when she was pursuing graduation in History from the Delhi University and found him most different among 20 other students in the class.

Unlike Sheila, Vinod was very popular, open-minded, cheerful, compassionate and a good cricketer. The young Sheila, on the other hand, was quiet in nature and could not even talk much owing to her shy and introvert character. However, the duo got closed while meditating to resolve the love dispute of their friends and finally fell in love with each other.

Meanwhile, a DTC bus played an important role in taking their relationship to the next level. The veteran leader mentioned in her book that Vinod proposed her for marriage when they went for a DTC bus ride and shared their feelings for each other.

READ | RIP Sheila Dikshit: A look at the life and political career of Congress warhorse

One day before his final year exam, while riding on bus no 10 at Chandni Chowk, Vinod told Sheila that he was going to tell his mother that he has chosen a girl, whom he wants to marry. To this, Sheila questioned if he has asked the girl about that. Vinod said the girl is sitting in front of him.

A few days after the incident, Sheila told her parents about the love of her life, but they were apprehensive about the marriage, given to the fact that Vinod was still a student. Post that, the matter was put on hold for some time and Sheila started working at a nursery school in Motibag. Vinod, on the other hand, started preparing for IAS exam and the two did not meet for a long.

A year later, in 1959, Vinod got selected for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and took Sheila to meet his family at a hotel in Janpath. While both Vinod's father and grandfather were quite happy with Sheila, the duo had to wait for his mother's consent for the 'inter-caste' marriage. The Congress leader wrote in her book that Vinod hailed from a Hindu Brahmin family of Unnao. Sheila, whereas, belonged to a Punjabi Khatri family.

READ | Sheila Dikshit was a beloved daughter of Congress: Rahul Gandhi

Two years later, finally, love won over casteism and the love birds - Sheila and Vinod, got hitched with the blessings of both the families on July 11, 1962.