The Delhi launch of the book, titled The Extraordinary Life and Death of Sunanda Pushkar, had an overriding theme of one of the primary characteristic of the capital city: of vanity. Politician Amar Singh was present at India International Centre, the venue of the launch.
He called Pushkar a straightforward and strong lady. His thoughts on the departed echoed to writer Shobhaa De’s quote, printed on the back of the book, to which he referred. According to De, “…This one married the wrong city.” Singh added that Pushkar was blunt in her conversations, a virtue found in people with a clear heart.
Born on June 27, 1962, in Sopore town of the Baramulla district in Jammu and Kashmir, the vivacious Pushkar believed in living life on her own terms.
She came into Delhi’s limelight after marrying politician and author Shashi Tharoor. Five years after her death the case is still on, with family members waiting for the closure, as told by the author Sunanda Mehta.
The panel, featuring journalists Nalini Singh, Kaveri Bamzai also included ex IPS officer MC Borwankar and the author. Mehta said that Pushkar’s son spoke to her as he found the author sharing the name of his mother.
According to Bamzai, Delhi didn’t deserve her as it consumed and spat her out. Veteran journalist, Nalini Singh, who shared a close friendship with Pushkar, called Lutyens’ Delhi a toxic society which, “Never lets you be one of themselves, always makes you feel an outsider and humiliates you and yet you are addicted to it.”