Jab They Met: Shashi Tharoor and Sunanda Pushkar

New Delhi: Sunanda Pushkar and Shashi Tharoor – this pair was once known as one of the most adorable couples of Indian politics.But former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor's life changed after Sunanda's mysterious death on Jan 17 in a hotel in Delhi,Her untimely and shocking death has left several questions unanswered but during Sunanda's lifetime, her life was always an open book.Sunanda and Shashi Tharoor had shared romantic moments and were considered adorable couples by friends and colleagues.Whatever transpired between them before Sunanda's death remains a mystery but they were always seen as a couple that had immense love for each other.Sunanda Pushkar was an ambitious lady who had struggled throughout her life to earn an identity of her own. She was married twice before she fell for Shashi Tharoor.Her first marriage did not work out well and she and her husband went for divorce with mutual consent. Her second husband was a Keralite businessman Sujith Menon. He died in an accident in 1997.They had a son, Shiv. After Sujith Menon's death, Sunanda had become very lonely. She felt as though she had no one in this huge world. Loneliness and concern for her son, gave her extreme stress. Sunanda Pushkar was an extremely charismatic person. Her presence of mind, style and glamour could woo any man. Shashi Tharoor was no exception.Shashi Tharoor is a celebrity in his own right with a magnetic personality and intellect that is revered across the globe. In one sense, the couple complemented each other and appeared as being made for each other.Sunanda and Shashi met for the first time in 2009 at a party organized by a mutual friend, Sunny Varkey. At this point of time, Shashi already had a wife.Their meeting was more or less very formal but Shashi's sharp mind didn't fail to notice her. After this party, Shashi and Sunanda started meeting quite frequently as friends. But very soon this friendship developed into a more intense sentiment – love.At that point of time Shashi was married to a Canadian named Christa Giles. But now that his heart and mind was smitten by Sunanda's charm and beauty, he felt that his marriage wouldn't last for long.Eventually, in order to be with the woman he truly loved, Shashi decided to part ways with his wife.It was then that MP Shashi Tharoor from Thiruvananthapuram accepted their relationship in public for the first time.In 2010, this beautiful couple tied the knot. Despite Shashi Tharoor's wealth and fame, they preferred a simple marriage. Sunanda and Shashi married in a typically Malayali way in Kerala. Sunanda and Shashi were inseparable. Wherever Shashi would go , Sunanda would be following her. He hardly ever left her alone.Sunanda and Shashi would often be spotted walking hand in hand or Sunanda lovingly caressing Shashi's hair or fondly patting him on the cheek.Their open display of affection often drew media's attention. His colleagues admired the couple and his critics chided him by saying `Shashi Tharoor should be made the minister of love affairs'Once Narendra Modi, the then CM of Gujarat, had termed her as “50 crore girlfriend”. Shashi Tharoor lost no time in defending her beloved wife.He retorted “my wife is worth lot more. She is priceless. But Mr. Modi, you need to be able to fall in love to know that.” It is said that a woman knows the face of the man she loves the same way a sailor knows the open sea.Almost four years after their beautiful married life, Sunanda left the world dumbstruck by publicly bringing up the issue of her husband's alleged affair with a Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar. She indicted Mehr of stalking her husband.On 15th January 2014, a series of messages were posted on Shashi Tharoor's twitter account.Those messages clearly manifested love for Tharoor. According to Sunanda, they had been posted by Mehr.She accused Mehr Tarar of being an ISI agent.The following day the couple published a joint statement through Shashi's Facebook account.The statement said that they were happily married and that some personal comments had been misunderstood after being posted on Twitter.The statement said that they intended to remain the way they were. It added that Sunanda had taken ill and has been hospitalized.The same day Sunanda checked into Leela Palace hotel in Delhi. According to a senior journalist, she had called her up then. Sunanda was very upset.She said that Shashi had deleted messages of Mehr Tarar. The journalist tried to console her but she was under depression and was inconsolable. She was the last person Sunanda had interacted with before her death.Shashi Tharoor on the other hand was preoccupied with Congress party's meetings the entire day. He came to her the following evening.Since the two had a fight a night before, he knew that she hadn't slept well. So he decided not to disturb her. After an hour or so, he entered the suite only to find her lying dead.Shashi was taken aback by the shocking turn of events. He immediately rang up the police and hotel authorities. And the rest, as we know, is history. On one occasion, Shashi recalled the tragedy and said that life without Sunanda was painful for him.“I know what it is to switch off the light all alone in my room knowing she is no more there,” said Shashi Tharoor. Usually love stories have a dramatically emotional ending but here, this one has left everyone who knew the duo bewildered.What happened between them? Did Sunanda commit suicide or was she murdered? Was she under some pressure?Does it really have anything at all to do with the Pakistani journalist, Mehr Tarar? Did Sunanda know something important that she ought not to have known?It's all a complete mystery now. We may never get the complete answers. But just like the Aarushi Talwar murder case, this case too will give jitters to the masses.Sunanda Pushkar, a lady who had the courage to stand up and speak for what she believed in, died suppressing all those millions of words she must have wanted to spell out. Is this the price she paid for being a woman of this era?The mystery over Sunanda Pushkar's death has recently got a dramatic new twist. While the case remains hazy with no clear indication as to how former Union minister Shashi Tharoor's wife died in a five-star hotel of Delhi early this year, a top doctor of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences has stirred the hornet's nest by claiming that he was pressured into giving a tailor-made report in the death case.Shashi Tharoor maintains that he has, since the beginning, not created any obstacle in the investigation process.He said that he is willing to cooperate with the police and all the formalities that are required by the investigation authorities. Subramanium Swamy, a senior BJP leader had said that she had been given Russian poison. The mystery continues and so will our curiosity. Sunanda's death is a great loss for those couples who considered them a role model.But all said and done, let it not be forgotten that as long as Sunanda lived, Shashi and she were deeply in love, at least this is what their public appearances suggested.