Trendy as she was
Born Sushma Sharma, she was declared the best NCC cadet of S.D. College, Ambala, for three years in a row.
She might have been small in stature, but her achievements are a tall order for anyone to beat. Sushma Swaraj, former external affairs minister and senior BJP leader, who passed away because of a cardiac arrest on Tuesday night, will not only be remembered for being one of the most efficient politicians India has seen, but also because of the many firsts she achieved and the trends she set.
Born Sushma Sharma on February 14, 1952, she was declared the best NCC cadet of S.D. College, Ambala, for three years in a row. Swaraj, who became the youngest chief minister of Haryana, was also a state-level debate champion and orator.
Known for her exuberant nature, she was no less of a fashion icon for many. Swaraj would wear wide-bordered handloom saris with a pinned up pallu and a long mark of vermilion, which made her the quintessential ‘Bharatiya naari’. “The Iron lady didn’t only set trends in her political approach, but also in the way she presented herself through her ever-so-radiating sarees and bindis that have come to inspire an entire generation of young women,” opines Delhi-based psychologist, Shaira Kohli. Shaira adds, “As a woman in psychology, I have always been a strong believer of expressing myself internally as well as externally. Her signature look radiated confidence and empowerment.”
Swaraj would accessorise her sarees with half jackets and bright, big bindis. The politician, who was also active on Twitter, once praised a schoolgirl for emulating her trademark half-jacket over a saree during an Independence Day programme.
“I love wearing sarees, and Sushma Swaraj was one of the main people who inspired me to wear them. Her style and the combination of Nehru jacket and saree with huge bindi have made quite a statement for females. I see a lot of my friends and colleagues following that trend,” adds Arti Tripathi, a schoolteacher.
Swaraj was once referred to as India’s ‘best-loved politician’ by the US Wall Street Journal. She took a personal interest in resolving minor issues like issuance of visa to individuals from economically weak backgrounds and getting relief to Indians in distress. “She helped out many Indians stranded in different countries with just a Tweet. She took it upon herself to fight back social-media trolls. She will be remembered,” says Sejal Sharma.
She was indeed one of the more tech-savvy ministers in India. “Efficient passport regime,” comments Jayant Jalan, a 28-year-old entrepreneur from Guwahati. Jalan highlights her method of fast-tracking the passport process in Northeast India, where it was a tough task to get it done in the first place. He recalls, “Under her leadership, the governance here went from a having a small RPO in Guwahati for eight states to opening offices in every state. That’s the real change she brought about. It might seem minor but for the residents here it was a big deal.”
She was also known for her instant, quirky and humorous replies to public queries on Twitter. Earlier this year, an Indian man based in Malaysia approached Sushma Swaraj on Twitter to seek help in sending a friend back home. He was trolled by the Twitterati over the use of grammatically incorrect language in the Tweet. Swaraj came to his rescue and said, “There is no problem. After becoming Foreign Minister, I have learned to follow English of all accents and grammar.”
The first ever-foreign minister after Indira Gandhi, Swaraj was an inspiration to many women and men. “Minister Swaraj opened up the gates of the South Block (of the Secretariat Building in New Delhi) to all Indians.
“She has left behind a lasting legacy of almost instantly helping Indians all across the globe and it’s a legacy even her successor and the ministry, in general, has had to follow, given its popularity,” explains Yash Agarwal, a LAMP fellow for the year 2019. According to corporate employee Ridham Gambhir, Sushma Swaraj was “not just a minister.” “She showed us what ministers should be like. No matter what the matter was she attended to it personally and kept an eye on it. She made us feel that we were being heard,” adds Gambhir.
A Twitter user had once tried to poke fun at her by telling her that he was stranded on Mars and needed rescuing. Not one to mince her words, Swaraj had replied by tweeting, “Even if you are stuck on the Mars, Indian Embassy there will help you.”
Sushma Swaraj’s Twitter hall of fame