Praful Patel is a non-vegetarian Gujarati (we're strictly talking food!), which is not of any national significance, presumably, but unusual. Like a vegetarian Parsi, who will pass by mutton/chicken dhansak! So, too, our Prafulbhai will opt for crabs over khakhras and tiger prawns over theplas. 

Of the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, many things have been said. That he is suave, dapper, dynamic, affable, and the like. All of which are true. But the one adjective that hasn't been used often enough is interesting. Pity. Did you, for instance, know that he is the beedi magnate of India - Bipasha Basu, eat your heart out, beedi jala ke!

The story goes something like this… The young Praful went to Mumbai's Campion School, followed by Sydenham College, with dreams of making it to Harvard, which he so easily could have given his natural flair and the family's affluence. But his father passed away when he was only 13. And, being an only child, he had to take charge of the business. This included '27', one of the most popular brands of beedis in India.

As Praful settles down on a well-stuffed sofa in a peachy shirt, with a mocktail to match, he recalls how they used to make beedis called Sahib for Davidoff! Today, his late father's beedi business has been expanded, thanks to Praful's enterprising zeal, to include factories scattered all over India in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Kerala, Orissa and so forth. "We employ 65,000 people," he reveals, "and that too in the rural areas where this is about their only source of employment. Of these, 30,000 are women. We manufacture 60 million beedi sticks a day. And these are all hand-rolled. The beedi leafs are taken from wild shrubs in the forests of Central India. Tribal people collect them in May every year. They are first dried, and then moistened again when they are rolled into beedis. No artificial ingredients or chemicals are used. It is a very labour intensive industry. All over India, the beedi industry employs five lakh people."

Still, tobacco is tobacco and nobody is any longer obscure about its ills. How does he configure his conscience with the opportunism of his business interests? He confesses he is uneasy about it. "It has been a conscious effort on my part not to really expand the business in recent years. As it is, growing aspirations are making beedi smokers switch to both gutka and cigarettes which, I think, are even more harmful alternatives. But, in the long run, I really don't mind if people give up smoking altogether. Fifteen years ago I myself did."

When he did smoke, though, it was beedis. Talk about being true to what you do! His business, meanwhile, has now expanded to include construction, real estate, financial services, pharmaceuticals and packaging. His company, the Ceejay Group, is close to 90-years-old. His being in politics, he jests, has cost him considerably in terms of missed business opportunities, although his companies are all professionally managed. So, what brought him to public life? Here again, it was a path that had been charted by his late father.

He recalls, "My father was a member of the Maharashtra Assembly right from its first elected session, and he must have been there for four terms. He represented his constituency, Gondia, in Maharashtra, and in addition to his business interests was always a committed social worker. We still run schools and colleges through the family trust, and 80,000 students study at our 70-odd institutions that include a law college, IT and computer colleges and just about everything other than a medical college. We run a lot of other trusts and medical aid institutions and I am very involved with my constituency even today."

He continues, "My rural background has ensured that I am sensitized toward poverty. It is there that you see the sheer helplessness of people. In the big cities there are other distractions, but in the villages their lives are so stark."

Not just he, but even his four children feel the same way. "My kids all feel more strongly about their roots than, perhaps, I do! Once a month they go to Gondia and have genuine friends there. I started my political career as the Mayor of Gondia at 27. At 33 I went to Parliament!"

He is delighted with his current appointment as Civil Aviation Minister. For a man who has been taking 300 flights a year, for the past several years, it seems like the perfect fit. "I never thought I'd get the job!" he concedes, "although for the last 18 years I have been on the Parliament's Aviation Committee and I really feel this is the sunrise sector of Indian industry. This will be the decade of aviation. We need to build infrastructure and our airports have to become international hubs. We also need three to four strong carriers, both domestic and international, and we need to upgrade." He is polite enough not to say anything unpleasant about the airhostesses of our national carriers, although he does assure that new planes ought to be on their way.

How does he find the food on Air India! "Well, the wine is pretty good, I select it," he smiles, "and the food has always been appreciated, although I am sure we could do better."

What does he enjoy eating? "Sea food," he says, "I love fish and white meat, but avoid red." More fond of Oriental food (Chinese, Japanese, Thai), because he feels it's fresh and light, he is particular to have one meal at home everyday. His wife, Varsha, is a vegetarian and at home he says he relishes his simple home food. "No phoo-phaa, it's very basic: dal, chawal, bajra or jowar rotis, sprouts, salads, vegetables. And, no, it is not typical Gujarati food either."

He is not a breakfast person, preferring just a juice, although he is particular about his workouts. "I am on the treadmill or, if I can, I go out for a jog. And I do light weights and crunches." Indulgences come by way of fine red wine, and partying with friends. Living between Mumbai and Delhi is now a way of life for him. "I think I have the best of both worlds," he gloats, "Delhi has a political zing and the winters are just fantastic. I won't say it's a second home because it is home. However, I make sure I am back for the weekends in Mumbai to be with the family."

Some of his best vacations have been on cruises (Alaskan, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Scandinavian), although he also enjoys Srinagar and Rajasthan. "I like cooler weather and the mountains. I think if you live in Mumbai, you get enough of the sea."

Here is someone with those proverbial wheels under his heels. He is restless and cannot stay in one place too long. "Every two days or so I am on a flight," he offers, "I really like to travel a lot."

And, underscoring yet again that he is the perfect choice as Civil Aviation Minister, comes the alarming confession: "I love airport terminals!" Prafulbhai is flying high, affirming the adage that if you really love something, the whole universe conspires to give it to you.