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Colour correct
There's more colour to Sushma Swaraj's life than just saffron. In fact, there is a colour for each day of the week. Come Monday, which is ruled by the Moon and its corresponding gemstone, pearl, and Swaraj goes all white. She wears white and she eats white ? safed chana and cauliflower.
There's more colour to Sushma Swaraj's life than just saffron. In fact, there is a colour for each day of the week. Come Monday, which is ruled by the Moon and its corresponding gemstone, pearl, and Swaraj goes all white. She wears white and she eats white — safed chana and cauliflower.
Tuesday's ruling planet is Mars, whose favoured gem is coral. Swaraj will be seen on this day in a red, or at best maroon, sari, eating rajma and carrots. On Wednesday, dominated by the planet Mercury, she wears green and eats capsicum and spinach. Even the pulse of the day is garnished with coriander.
Thursday is Jupiter's day, dominated by topaz or yellow sapphire. So what's on the menu? Kari and besan chila, not to forget the yellow saris. Venus rules Friday, the day of the diamond, and Swaraj tries to match the mood with mauve or grey saris. Food centres around white oats, porridge and a mixed moong and urad dal, which has a blue hue. Saturn and blue sapphire influence Saturday, when it's only blue saris and kala chana for her.
And Sunday? She's free to choose the colour of her food and clothes. And she can mix them too.
Unbelievable? Take a look at Swaraj's wardrobe of exquisite saris. They are kept in neat rows of white, maroon, red, green and so on. Sneak into her kitchen and the day's colour dominates. Sushma claims that she follows this regimen for "effective time management". But obviously, astrology has a hand in it too. For the record, she says that this obviates domestic help awaiting instructions each time travel or dinner is planned.
But if there is something she wants and doesn't get, it is red roses from her husband, Swaraj Kaushal. While he has vowed never to speak about her to the media, she speaks volumes about him and the lack of romance in her life. She complains of how she's been forever deprived of the roses and gifts, and even a formal proposal despite the fact that theirs was an "arranged love marriage".
Thirty years later, Sushma has learnt to live with the fact that except for the poetry he wrote for her in their initial years together, there will neither be any birthday cards nor a wedding anniversary bash coming from him. She is visibly irritated when he relates a story about the dismal state of a friend's marriage, who during courtship, would specially fly in orchids from Thailand or lay out lavish dinners on moonlit nights.
But catch Swaraj on her trips abroad and you will find her shopping for her husband: the best after-shave lotions she can lay her hands on. Catch her at home when the maid is on leave, and you will find her preparing chapatis for him, irrespective of how strenuous her day has been or how heavy the next one will be. That is when her gorgeous saris are replaced by drab maxis.
