Pranab Mukherjee releases Sheila Dikshit’s book ‘Meri Dilli Meri’

Former President of India Pranab Mukherjee released Sheila Dikshit’s coffee table book Meri Dilli Meri: Before and after 1998, at the India International Centre in Delhi in presence of an august gathering on Saturday. Speaking about the author, former Delhi Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Sheila Dikshit, the former President said “It is rare for a Punjabi, born in Kapurthala, to become a Member of Parliament and Union Minister from Uttar Pradesh, and then go on to become the Chief Minister of Delhi. It speaks a lot about not only the persona but also the marvels of our democratic system and it’s all encompassing diversity”.

Praising Sheila Dikshit, Mukherjee added “When I came to Delhi in 1969 after being elected as a Member of Parliament, Delhi was quite different. The population of Delhi was hardly over 35 lakh. When Sheila Dikshit became the Chief Minister in 1998, the population had increased to 1.5 crore and rose to about 2.5 crore by the time she demitted office in 2013. During her years at the apex of Delhi’s administration, the national capital, transformed into a bustling, alive and liveable metropolis. The city in itself has gone through a long journey of over 1,200 years of rise and fall and rise again. This book captures the essence of the city through photographs and displays the deep commitment that Sheila Dikshit has towards this city”.

Sheila Dikshit said that this is first book she has ever written. She said “though it took about two years to complete the book and I only decided to go ahead after I received the positive feedback from the people with whom I shared the script”.

Among the august gathering were Dikshit’s former cabinet colleagues, bureaucrats, friends and family members. Bhaskar Roy threw light on the various aspects of the book and Yoges Malik of Palimpsest Publishing House welcomed the guests.