Nepotism and Identity

Today, I was watching an interview of Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murty, and something made me pause. Not the politics of it, but a quieter question underneath — the idea of identity itself.

Do I need an identity? If yes, why? I found myself asking this plainly. Maybe identity isn’t just vanity — maybe it’s how we locate ourselves in relation to others, how we know we exist as someone distinct.

Can we live without an identity? I’m not sure. Maybe a life without identity is possible in theory, but in practice, society doesn’t let you opt out. Someone always assigns you one, even if you don’t choose it yourself.

How do I perceive my own identity? This is harder to answer honestly. My parents want to portray me as a Civil Servant — that’s their way of pursuing an identity for me, on my behalf. It makes me wonder how much of “my” identity is actually mine, and how much is inherited expectation wearing my name.

This led me to think about people who are born into legacy — take Akshata Murty, or Supriya Sule, as examples.

Supriya Sule, an MP from Baramati, has been widely recognized for bringing forward several private member’s bills and for her legislative contributions. Watching someone like her, I imagine that growing up with a well-known political lineage, she probably had to consciously build her own identity — because society demands it of people born into a shadow.

She can be aspirational. But maybe there’s also a constant, quiet battle underneath — the need to be acknowledged, to prove:

1. That she’s a competent legislator in her own right, not just riding on a name — equally capable as her father, Sharad Pawar, or her cousin, Ajit Pawar.
2. That she has to overcome the assumption of inherited advantage, and show she is genuinely equally competent.
3. That she is more than what an ordinary comparison with the general public would suggest.
4. Or — maybe none of this is true for her at all. Maybe she simply chooses who she is, without needing to prove anything to the world.

That last point is what stays with me the most. Because maybe that’s the real marker of identity — not the constant proving, but the moment someone stops needing to prove anything at all.