When her father fell ill, Priyanka recalled her earliest memories of her father. “My Dad is really tall. And I was just 2 or 3. I’d always try to pass through his legs and he’d clamp my neck as I did so. My earliest memory is of me howling because my Dad wouldn’t let me pass through his legs. He had a bike which I loved to take rides on.”
Priyanka was born in Jamshedpur. “My Nanajee lives there. I visit him regularly. As a child, I loved reading. I just loved sitting at the window and reading and watching down on the streets. My dad was in the army so we were always on the move. He taught me to drive at 13 when he’d take me to school. I was very scared of driving…. My dad used to be a doctor in the army until he took voluntary retirement in 1997. He’s a trained artiste, painter and singer. He used to be called the singing surgeon. He used to do shows for the army. I’ve inherited a fondness for singing from my dad. One of my earliest memories at 3 is of my dad on stage looking at me and singing. If he didn’t look at me and sing I’d get extremely miffed. Sometimes he used to call me up on stage to sing an African song that I knew.”
When Priyanka decided to participate in Miss India she was apprehensive of her father’s reaction. “We come from a very conservative family. All this glamour and showbiz was very new to my dad. It was my mom who told him about my plans…I wasn’t willing to talk to him about it. Initially, he wasn’t convinced. But my mom and I reasoned it was just a holiday in Mumbai and that I didn’t stand a chance in hell of winning. Who knew?! I had never modelled before. I had my portfolio done for the first time for the pageant. I thought of myself as a very ugly child. I saw myself as an ugly duckling who would one day turn into a swan. I believe in fairy tales. I used to cry before my mom about how ugly I was. Even now it takes 90 minutes of hair clothes and makeup to make me look decent. After I won Miss India my mom and I moved to Mumbai. Dad joined us later. And so did my brother. Dad has always been super-encouraging. We bought a house and started a clinic for mom and dad. They became practicing doctors again. He later joined Leelavati as managing director.”
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The aura of happiness fades. “His illness has been a blow. My Dad always told me to keep working normally. I’d never let him down by letting the strain show. Now that he’s healing I feel grateful ….grateful that this trauma happened at a time when I could afford his treatment. I’m so relieved I could afford him the best treatment. If it had happened two years ago I wouldn’t have been able to do anything. I’ve always believed daughters care as much as sons, if not more. And even when they get married they continue to care a lot more for their parents. Sons are a lot more swayed. My mom has several sisters and my Naani stays with all of them.
