Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: It may be a defining moment of her husband’s long and illustrious political career and the world might be singing praise to the veteran Congress leader, but Pranab Mukherjee’s wife and soon-to-be India`s First Lady Suvra Mukherjee is least bothered.
In an interview to a leading daily, published on Tuesday, Suvra Mukherjee told how she manages to keep herself out of her famous husband’s towering persona and about their not so lovey-dovey relationship.
Suvra, who is not keeping well these days, is also not pretty excited over Pranab`s election as India`s first Bengali president.
When asked how it feels to be the First Lady, she just said it feels good. However, she is quick to remind that the couple would soon be joined by their children for the big ceremony.
When asked how she felt when she learnt that Pranab would be first Bengali President and weather she congratulated her husband, Suvra was quoted as saying, “No, no. We are not like today`s couples. It`s not a lovey-dovey relationship and we don`t express our emotions overtly. It`s all in the mind and heart,” adding, “We don`t really indulge in small love talk. At our age, it`s more about depending on each other wholeheartedly. His love for me is different. Every day, after his bath he comes to me, touches my forehead and recites some mantras. He does this every day of the year and yesterday was no exception. This is how he expresses his love. We`ve been married for 55 years and we haven`t fought for a single day!”
When asked if she has some special plans for the D-Day or has she bought any gift for ‘Pranab’, she remarked, “What else other than love.” Revealing the lesser known aspects of her famous husband’s personality, Suvra said, “He is not like other husbands as she has never brought me a sari. He is a workaholic, work is his life. Outside work, he`s a voracious reader and is deep into books all the time.”
When asked about her husband’s likings and disliking and eating habits, Surva said, “He loves aloo posto and jhinge posto.
However, the lady regretted that she could not personally cook her husband’s favourit dishes but ensured that they are cooked according to her recipes.
The lady also claimed that Pranab remains aloof from household affairs where she has a complete say. Recalling things from the past, Suvra said that she misses her first son who died soon after birth and that she badly missed her mother, who firmly believed that Pranab would be an accomplished man one day.
She wished if her mother and late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi were alive, the two would have been very happy to see Pranab’s rise as President of India.
When asked to comment on Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee- another firebrand politician from her state – for her strong opposition to Pranab’s candidature initially, she politely refused saying, “I am apolitical. I stay 10 lakh feet away from politics.”