India, Jan. 29 -- Despite being a seasoned full-time politician, Ajit Pawar often said that working hard and staying connected with people was his only hobby.

Whenever asked about his personal interests by journalists, Pawar had a standard reply: "My hobby is work." He reiterated this recently during interactions with the media in Pune amid the municipal election campaign.

"I like to remain active. I wake up early, watch television news, read newspapers and do some exercise. I keep the television volume high in the morning, so others in the house also wake up early," Pawar said with a smile at the time.

He also spoke fondly of music, saying he enjoyed listening to songs by Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar whenever possible. Pawar was ...