Sunanda Pushkar
A dynamic entrepreneur who built a life across continents, her story became intertwined with high-profile Indian politics and cricket.
1962–2014 (age 52)·Indo-Canadian businessperson·Birthday: June 27·Baby Boomers
Biography
Sunanda Pushkar's life was a journey of self-invention across borders. Born in Kashmir, she lived in several countries before settling in Dubai, where she built a successful career in business development for a major investment company. Her expertise in marketing and sales for luxury properties earned her recognition in the UAE. Pushkar entered the public eye in India through a controversial association with the Kochi IPL cricket franchise, Rendezvous Sports World, where her stake was presented as sweat equity for her marketing skills. This business move sparked political controversy. Her personal life became a subject of intense media scrutiny following her marriage to Indian politician and diplomat Shashi Tharoor in 2010. Pushkar was often described as a glamorous and assertive figure navigating the intersecting worlds of global business, sports, and politics. Her sudden death in 2014 ended a complex and widely discussed chapter.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Sunanda was born in 1962, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Sunanda Was Born
The biggest hits of 1962
#1 Movie
Lawrence of Arabia
Best Picture
Lawrence of Arabia
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Sunanda's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1962Born
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1967Started school
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1975Became a teenager
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Could drive
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1980Could vote
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Turned 21
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1992Turned 30
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 40
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 50
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2014Died at 52
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
Key Achievements
- Built a successful career as a sales director for Dubai-based TECOM Investments, promoting major projects like Dubai Internet City.
- Was a co-owner of Rendezvous Sports World, which owned the Kochi Tuskers Kerala franchise in the Indian Premier League.
- Was awarded 'free equity' in the IPL franchise for her stated role in conceptualizing and branding the team.
Did You Know?
She held Canadian citizenship.
Before her business career in Dubai, she reportedly ran a catering business in Kashmir.
She was married three times; her marriage to Shashi Tharoor was her third.
“I built my life from scratch in a new country, and I'm proud of that.”
