Sushma continues to live in their memories

The untimely passing away of BJP stalwart Sushma Swaraj made many in Udupi-Dakshina Kannada districts revive old memories and express gratitude to her acts of compassion which had benefited them.

On Wednesday, Udupi-based Hotelier Anand Krishna Singh changed his status to condole the death of Sushma Swaraj. In his status, he acknowledged that it was the former Union Minister of External Affairs (MEA) who rescued him from South Africa. In May 2017, Anand working in South Africa as a shop-keeper was accused of stealing Rs nine lakh from the cash drawers by his employers.

Singh’s sister Anita Suvarna from Santhekatte in Udupi took to social media and tweeted to Sushma on how the employers were beating her brother with rods and forcing him to confess at gunpoint.

“On Sushma’s directions, embassy officials freed him from his tormentors and facilitated a hassle-free return to India,” Anita said.

“If not for Sushma’s swift response, my brother would have been killed,” she said with deep gratitude. Anand says the help rendered by Sushma, his friends in Goa and Mumbai cannot be forgotten in this lifetime. “I am saddened by the death of Sushma Swaraj. She defined Indian politics during her tenure at the MEA,” tweeted Faizan Patel, an alumnus of St Aloysius college.

It was exactly three years ago, Faizan Patel and his newly-wed wife decided to go on a honeymoon trip to Europe.

He was forced to board the international flight all alone as his wife Sana had misplaced her passport. He had tweeted the picture, tagging Sushma Swaraj, of him and his wife’s photograph pasted on the vacant seat next to him. To his surprise, Sushma Swaraj had responded and had ensured that his wife Sana had joined him in his Europe honeymoon trip on the following day with the help of a new passport.

“Sushma Swaraj--the PM (Prime Minister) India never had,” tweeted Faizan, who is a product photographer in New Delhi.

For Prashanth Shet, the memories of having lunch along with Sushma kept flashing before his eyes from the time he learnt about her untimely death. “I had presented a pencil sketch when Sushma was in Mangaluru to address party workers 20 years ago,” he said.

After signing on the pencil portrait, Sushma Swaraj invited him for lunch and had food sitting next to him.