BENGALURU: Carrying the weight of her surname has never been an issue for educationist Aisshwarya DKS Hegde. As the daughter of Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, she is focused on carving out her own identity – with considerable success. It’s clear that she values staying true to herself, and it was reflected in her choice of attire when she met us: a blue blazer with pink sequins, flared denim pants, and sneakers.
Hegde is familiar with the media spotlight, a reality that intensified with her 2020 marriage to Amartya Hegde, son of the late Café Coffee Day founder VG Siddhartha. Aware of her ties to two of Karnataka’s most prominent families, Hegde remains mindful of her privilege. “It’s more about the responsibility than whether it’s a boon or a bane. I feel privileged to have been born into a family like this and fortunate to have married into another. Being born into one family shaped one version of me, and marrying into another helped me grow into something better,” she reflects.
Despite the current spotlight, Hegde remembers her childhood as quite ordinary. “Growing up was normal, with all the typical experiences– like taking the train with my cousin to visit my grandmother in Mysuru every summer. Visiting jatres (fairs) in my native Kanakapura was also a regular thing. During my junior school, we lived in a modest house in Basaveshwara Nagar,” she says, adding that she was raised in a strict household where she got a fair share of scolding.
To the world, Shivakumar is a public figure, but to her, he is the father who took her bowling and for KFC outings. “Honestly, I only fully realised the impact of being his daughter after college, when the raids began at our home, and I had to face the ED and the media. That’s when the reality of his public persona hit me. Until then, my mother had always shielded us from the outside world,” she says.
Despite the pull of politics and business, Hegde found her calling in education. “It was my father who asked me to give it a shot,” she explains, as she guides us through her ‘catalyst room’ at National Hill View Public School in Banashankari, where she teaches children to push beyond their comfort zones and confront their fears.
Hegde’s schedule is demanding, starting at 6.30am every day and often extending into the weekend. “I end up working on Saturdays and Sundays for various social events. I’m just grateful that my husband is equally busy and doesn’t have time to ask how busy I am, so life simply continues!” she quips.
However, Hegde has established some firm boundaries when it comes to family time. “I try not to work on Sunday. It’s a day when we gather for lunch as a family. Friday evenings are usually spent with my friends or my husband,” she says, adding that she also indulges in binge-watching her favourite OTT shows. “The last one I watched was The White Lotus, but I also enjoy shows like Emily in Paris and K-dramas,” she shares, as she hurries off to her next appointment.