Hegde’s companion to the aid of his party

Prahlad has been invited to take over as president of Lok Shakti and her smooth anointment, scheduled for March 15, will certainly be the envy of other such politicians who have had to claw their way to the top.

Sitting composed in the apartment both Hegde and she once shared, Prahlad says, ‘‘I would not like to be compared to anybody. We are born with our own individual destinies and we have

to live with it our own way.’’

Her reasons for joining politics, she says, are straightforward: ‘‘It was RK’s dream to revive the Lok Shakti. He always blamed himself for the its hasty merger with the Janata Dal six years ago. After the betrayal of George Fernandes, which destroyed him, it was his longing to revive the LS. Since he could not do it in his lifetime, I would like to fulfill his wish.’’

It was a tough choice, since she is still mourning for the man of her life, but the Hegde family’s decision to opt for the BJP,made it easy for her.

‘‘I am surprised they have decided to join politics because none of them helped him in his lifetime. I am equally stunned they joined the side which let him down.’’

Prahlad says she also dislikes the idea of dynastic politics or the politics of legacy and waves away comparisons with her ‘‘ambitious’’ contemporaries. ‘‘Unlike them, I have a career outside politics as I am a successful dancer and am at the top. I have never been a hanger on and neither am I joining politics because of a man.’’

‘‘I am an educated woman and can make my own choices. I enjoy politics, I have campaigned for RK since 1991. However, I am determined to carry his message and principles to the world — he is a visionary and brought in radical reforms whether it was the panchayati raj or electoral reforms. I will not let LS die with him.’’

‘‘This is no personal ambition, I just want to undo the wrongs heaped on him. The way the NDA government first lured him to make itself respectable and then dumped him overnight because Fernandes refused to have him in the Cabinet. It happened not once but twice — in 1998 and 1999. But RK said he will not indulge in the politics of blackmail as his first concern was stability for the country.’’

Prahlad’s confidence comes from living a life on her own terms whether it was her unconventional relationship with one of India’s well-known politicians or having children out of wedlock.

Her seven-year-old twin boys are her obsession today and she is composed when she talks of her bereavement. ‘‘RK is a loss which can never be compensated. He was an extraordinary factor in my life as we had known each other for 15 years. I grew up with him. I met him when I was barely 27 years old.’’

So, what are her immediate plans? ‘‘I would like to bring back all those who left the Lok Shakti because it was rudderless. ’’ What of polls? ‘‘Let the national executive decide it,’’ she says with a new-found flourish.