Indira Gandhi changed the name of Menaka to Maneka as it reminded her of Indra’s courtroom dancer Menaka from the Indian mythology. Besides being a minister and actively involved in politics since 1983, Maneka had her stint as a journalist. She was the Founding Editor of the magazine, Surya in 1977, which was one of the main reasons that helped re-vitalise Congress’ image among the public by carrying out regular interviews of Sanjay and Indira Gandhi. According to many claims, the Surya magazine was the sole platform that defended and covered Congress party views, which helped in party’s re-election in 1980.
