He won me over with Abba’s 'Fernando': Smita Parekh

She is the spouse of one of our most well-known corporate head honchos, yet Smita Parekh often steers clear of the spotlight. In an exclusive meeting at her United World College office, she chooses to speak about theatre, movies, her student days, today’s youth and life with Deepak Parekh.

It seems her life with the HDFC chief was nailed by a song — he wooed her by singing. “It was Abba’s Fernando. It won me over because he sung it so badly,” said Smita who, though not into heavy metal and blues, enjoys jazz, Indian instrumental music and the works of Ravi Shankar, Abba and Beatles.

She believes that they complement each other. “Deepak likes to be with his core group of friends or put his feet up and not talk at all. Because of his work, he has become this mega-personality. He needs me for structure, the micro-management of the kids’ lives, the home, the socialising that is a must. He takes the big decisions, but the smaller, crucial ones I take,” she said.

Life for her changed when she got married. “I married young, straight out of college. I miss the fact that I could have done more. Maybe I did not have the tenacity but I was having too much fun being a young bride and a mother. Then HDFC started and both of us could not have done start-up things,” she said.

Her growing-up years were filled with simple things. Getting nostalgic about those days, she said, “Every summer, my parents would drive out to any one state. We did not have the means to go to exotic locations but I saw all of our country. We did not have the stimuli that kids have today.”

Just before the first of the annual UWC lecture series, ‘The United Wheels of Change’, she speaks about making a difference. “One Slumdog Millionaire created so much hoopla but did we need Danny Boyle to tell us what Mumbai is all about? We wear blinkers. We all must do our bit, quietly,” she said.