‘Won’t miss Parliament for my anniversary’ …says the suave politico and writer Shashi Tharoor, who’s set to celebrate his second wedding anniversary in wife Sunanda’s hometown

‘Won’t miss Parliament for my anniversary’

…says the suave politico and writer Shashi Tharoor, who’s set to celebrate his second wedding anniversary in wife Sunanda’s hometown

Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor dons multiple hats and continues to make news for more reasons than one. The former Under-Secretary General of United Nations was in the city to launch his latest book Pax Indica: India and the World of the 21st Century — that talks about India’s foreign policy — a subject he’s been “caring about for a long time”. And while the politician is busy promoting his book across the country, he’s all set to celebrate his second wedding anniversary with Sunanda on August 22. “This year we’re going go to Gulmarg. Sunanda is passionate about Kashmir… since she and her family were driven out of Kashmir in the 1989 violence, and their home was burnt down in the village of Sopore, there’s a feeling of a lost paradise. We celebrated her birthday in Srinagar this year and it was a huge success,” reveals Tharoor in an exclusive interview with After Hrs. He emphasises that they will be keeping the anniversary celebrations for the weekend as the Parliament is in session. “I’m not going to miss Parliament even for an anniversary. So the following weekend, we’ll be in Gulmarg,” he maintains. Controversies aside, Tharoor has also been branded as one of India’s most stylish politician. And how does he react to this? “I guess I take it as a compliment (laughs), though I don’t think of myself as stylish,” says Tharoor, adding, “My wife thinks I’m a slob, and my kids think I’m a careless dresser. Guess Indians have been very kind in giving me such a reputation. I never shop for big brands… most of my clothes are tailored by whichever tailor I find convenient in the city that I’m in. But yes, now with my growing prominence in India, some designers have approached me and I have a few more designer outfits than I ever had.” Besides politics and books, Tharoor vests interest in theatre, films and cricket too. Though he swears by cricket, he isn’t much tuned into the ongoing Olympics gala. “I’ve never been a big Olympics watcher, but I’m always happy to hear about the results,” he wraps up.