Valentine's Day 2020: Sushma Swaraj and Swaraj Kaushal - the story behind one of modern India's favourite romances

Valentine's Day 2020: Sushma Swaraj and Swaraj Kaushal - the story behind one of modern India's favourite romances

On Thursday, ahead of Swaraj's birth anniversary, the government announced that it would be renaming the Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra as Sushma Swaraj Bhawan and the Foreign Service Institute as Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service.

FPJ Web DeskUpdated: Thursday, February 13, 2020, 06:42 PM IST
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Sushma Swaraj with her husband Swaraj Kaushal | Twitter (@SushmaSwaraj)

Former Union Minister for External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj was born on the 14th of February, otherwise known as Valentine's Day.

On Thursday, present External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar announced that in honour of the late Minister, the government would be renaming the Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra as Sushma Swaraj Bhawan and the Foreign Service Institute as Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service.

"A fitting tribute to a great public figure who continues to inspire us," he wrote on Twitter.

MEA Spokesperson, Raveesh Kumar too took to Twitter to announce the same.

The late Sushma Swaraj would have turned 68 on the 14th of February. The former Union Minister for External Affairs passed away in August 2019.

Responding to the post, her husband, Swaraj Kaushal said that the family was grateful for the honour.

"Thank you Prime Minister @narendramodi for this kind gesture on the eve of her birthday. We as a family are grateful for this honour. - Bansuri Swaraj & @governorswaraj," he wrote.

The duo, often hailed for having 'one of the greatest love stories in modern India' met in college while studying law in Delhi. They weren't quite on the same page when it came to political ideologies -- Sushma Swaraj believed in many of the ideals of the RSS, while Swaraj Kaushal had a socialist bent of mind. Nonetheless, the two developed a rapport.

Their 44 year marriage began at the height of the Emergency period on July 13, 1975. But beyond the political turmoil of the time, their families too were opposed to the match. Sushma came from rather orthodox family in Haryana.

Despite both families raising their objections, the duo got married, and Sushma took her husband's name.

In 2018, when Sushma Swaraj announced that she would henceforth keep away from electoral politics, her husband won the hearts of netizens with his tweeted responses.

"Thank you very much for your decision not to contest any more elections. I remember there came a time when even Milkha Singh stopped running,” he wrote.

Admiringly, he traced her rather long and successful political career, calling it a 41-year long "marathon".

"Madam I am running behind you for the last 46 years. I am no longer a 19-year-old. Please, I am also running out of breath. Thank you,” the former Governor wrote.

Sushma Swaraj's political life is filled with milestones. At 25, she became the youngest cabinet minister of Haryana. She was the first full-time External Affairs Minister and even briefly served as the Chief Minister of Delhi.

But Swaraj Kaushal is no slouch either. At 34, he became the youngest ever Advocate General. Soon after, at 37, he became India's youngest Governor, taking office in Mizoram in February 1990.

It seems almost fitting to recall their story on the eve of Valentine's Day. We'll leave you with a quote from Governor Swaraj.

In December 2019, responding to another Twitter user, he wrote, "Mam - I have never followed any girl other than Sushma Sharma."

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