From being India's former Defence Minister to being the second woman Finance Minister after Indira Gandhi, BJP leader, and politician Nirmala Sitharaman has come a long way in her career. Sitharaman was born on August 18, 1959, in Madurai, Tamil Nadu to Savitri and Narayanan Sitharaman

In photo: Former Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in a candid conversation with IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman

Did you know? Nirmala Sitharaman spent her childhood in various parts of the state because her father Narayanan was an employee of the Indian Railways. Sitharaman did her schooling from Madras and Tiruchirappalli. Later, she went on to pursue further education from Seethalakshmi Ramaswami College, Tiruchirapalli where she gained her Bachelors's degree in economics

Post her graduation in economics, Nirmala Sitharaman did her Master of Arts degree in economics and M.Phil from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi. After attaining her masters, Sitharaman enrolled for a Ph.D. in economics where she focused on Indo-Europe trade. However, Nirmala Sitharaman moved to London as her husband, Parakala Prabhakar got a scholarship at the London School of Economics

In photo: Former Defence Minister gets ready to take off as she sits inside the cockpit of the Sukhoi-30 MKI. While sharing this photo, Sitharaman wrote: Familiarising with the fighter aircraft before taking off for a sortie

Did you know? Nirmala Sitharaman met her husband Parakala Prabhakar, a Telugu Brahmin while the two were studying at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi. The two went on to tie the knot in 1986. The couple, who has been married for over 30 years have a daughter named Parakala Vangmayi

While Nirmala Sitharaman joined the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2004, her husband Parakala Prabhakar was a Congress loyalist. After spending six years in the party, she was appointed as a spokesperson in 2010. Four years later, Sitharaman was inducted as a junior minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government which came to power in 2014

In photo: Nirmala Sitharaman is caught in a candid moment after she paid a visit to the Cellular Jail in Port Blair at Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Three years later, in June 2014, Nirmala Sitharaman was inducted to the cabinet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was bestowed with the duty of being the Defence Minister of India. She became the second woman after Indira Gandhi to hold the post

In photo: Former Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman poses with the Air Force personnel from the Jamnagar Air Base in Gujarat

Nirmala Sitharaman is India's second female defence minister and also the second female finance minister after Indira Gandhi. She is also the first full-time female Finance Minister after Indira Gandhi. After the Narendra Modi-led BJP government came to power in 2019 once again, Nirmala Sitharaman was appointed as the finance and corporate affairs minister in May 2019

In photo: Former Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman enjoys a simple meal with the trainees of Air Force at the Airmen Training School in Belagavi, Karnataka

Did you know? Before foraying into politics, BJP leader and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman worked as a salesperson at a home decor store in London. Besides being a salesperson, she also worked as a Senior Manager Research and Analysis with Price Waterhouse and also for a brief period with one of the leading broadcasters in the world

Nirmala Sitharaman also served as an assistant to an economist in the Agricultural Engineers Association, London and was also a member of the National Commission for Women, Delhi

In photo: Nirmala Sitharaman welcomes President Ram Nath Kovind, on the occasion of Republic Day at Rajpath, Raisina Hill, India Gate in New Delhi

From sharing insights from her travel to official trips to addressing a rally as BJP star campaigner and presenting the Union Budget as India's first full-time Defence Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman has been there and done that

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharamana shared this picture with her followers after she traveled from Delhi metro to Gurugram and back. In the picture, Sitharaman can be seen interacting with her fellow women passengers

In photo: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman caught in a candid mommet as she serves halwa to her colleagues during the halwa ceremony which marks the beginning of printing of budget-related documents

Nirmala Sitharaman is one of the few politicians who is quite active on Instagram and shares a good rapport with her followers. The minister often shares snippets from her life and keeps her fans informed about herself

Finance Minister Nirmal Sitharaman shared this picture when she got news of the passing away of BJP minister and Former Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj. While sharing this picture, Sitharaman wrote: Sushma Swaraj's speeches in the Parliament, full of substance and firepower, motivated several of us. Sharing a photo from the 2014 swearing-in ceremony

Nirmala Sitharaman shared this throwback picture of herself with former Defence Minister and BJP leader, late Manohar Parrikar. In the picture, the two can be seen posing alongside personnel of the Indian Navy. Sitharaman captioned this one: I learned a lot from Shri Parrikar. As Raksha Mantri, his contribution to making the armed forces a modernised, lean and mean fighting machine will remain unparalleled