File photo: Education Minister Smriti Irani
It did not help that she is India's Education Minister. Smriti Irani had to appear for an interview for her children's admission to a school in Delhi, like any other parent.
"Oh yes. I actually got interviewed. When I came from Mumbai to Delhi, the first one month, I tried to work out a balance between work and home. I just could not because I barely had six hours to go to Mumbai. I have two young children, one is 11 and the other is 13," Ms Irani told news agency Press Trust of India on Sunday.
"For me it was difficult and I said 'come to Delhi' and, mercifully, they listened. It was a difficult shift because my family never lived here and the first thing we did before we came is to give an interview as parents - got grilled by teachers and principal and then the children were grilled," she added.
During her interaction with PTI journalists, Ms Irani spoke in detail about her remarkable journey from acting to politics and finally, the union cabinet at 38.
She said she did not mind the interview at the school.
"I think processes should not differ just because you are a minister. This is a job, a responsibility, not a right to override the processes that every citizen goes through. So I gave an interview with my husband, got evaluated."
Ms Irani shared that she goes to parent-teacher meetings regularly. "I don't go with a barrage of cops. I think you want to give sense to your children that this is a job, not an entitlement."