She made news in 2011 when she took oath of public office in Canada with her hand on the Gita. Nearly five years later, it was homecoming for the Member of Ontario’s Provincial Parliament (MPP), Dipika Damerla, when on Thursday she witnessed Telangana sign multiple agreements with Canada.
Born in Hyderabad, Damerla’s early life and teenage was shaped in the city. An alumnus of Kendriya Vidyalaya Trimulgherry and Raja Jitendra Public School in Begumpet, she claims strong links to Hyderabad.
“My great grandfather moved to the Hyderabad state in 1907 and families on both sides have strong links to the city. My grandmother, who is 90, lives here. We come back every year to the city,” she told The Hindu on the sidelines of signing of agreements. Ms. Damerla moved in 1991 to Canada where she earned a degree in business administration. After dabbling in banking and journalism, she found her calling in politics. “I was a journalist for a short period of time. That helped me switch to politics. When I was reporting I would meet a lot of politicians and that inspired me,” she said.
Recounting the political scene in India during her younger days, MPP Damerla said it would have been unimaginable for someone like her from a middle-class family to debut in politics. Canada proved different.
“The candidacy itself in Canada depends on winning in the primaries. It gives somebody like me, without family connections or a godfather, a chance to run for office,” she said. “A fully functional democracy is not just about the right to vote but also about right to run for office that Canada offered and I jumped at.” India is changing, she says, as people from diverse backgrounds are now getting into politics. Ms. Damerala was elected to Ontario’s Provincial Parliament, similar to state assemblies in India, representing Mississauga East—Cooksville in October 2011. She is part of a delegation from Ontario, led by its Premier Kathleen Wynne.
Dipika Damerla from Hyderabad is currently Member of Ontario’s Provincial Parliament
