Banking On Goodwill

From calling Modi "the nation's father", to her songs for social causes, Amruta Fadnavis has made a name for herself. This former First Lady of the State keeps making headlines one way or the other.

Amruta Fadnavis; Source: TheAsianAge

Born in 1979 in Nagpur as Amruta Ranade in a household of progressive doctors, education and independence played a crucial role in her upbringing.

Her journey began as she graduated with an Economics degree and then finished an MBA from Pune, which helped her land her first job as an Executive Cashier with Axis Bank in 2003. In 2005, she married Devendra Fadnavis, who would serve as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra later on.

With her marriage into a political family, her social activism found a place for manifestation. She took to the ramp to promote tribal weaving and started initiatives for school-going slum children. Her other talents are spread across; she is also a chief patron for Davis Cup as she was a state-level tennis player during her school days.

Amruta later ventured into singing. With classical music training, she debuted in Bollywood with Priyanka Chopra's Jai Gangajal, singing several songs in Marathi and Hindi, garnering millions of hits.

She showcases her talent for various social issues, be it women empowerment, water conservation, helping acid attack survivors; she'll have a song ready. Her singing skills came into the limelight when she composed a song for late BJP leader Gopinath Munde.

She got into a major controversy when Police accounts were transferred from Axis bank back to state banks, by a Non-BJP government accusing her of using her husband for personal gains. The opposition also questioned her position as Deputy Vice President of Axis bank.

Amruta became a subject of ridicule when she ignored security during the inauguration of India's first luxury cruise Angriya for a selfie. Then some, when she declared Prime Minister Modi as the father of the nation. Still, she remains unwavering in her approach to life:

"Palat me aaungi shakhon pe khushbuye lekar, khija ki jad mein hoon, mausam jara badal ne de (I will come back with fresh fragrance...let the season change a bit),"

Her contributions cannot be neglected. She adopted two villages of Nagpur and made them models of rural development. Even with all her fallings, Amruta has significantly committed to rural development and the empowerment of women.