Colour conscious

On Monday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj spoke in the Lok Sabha about her visit to Islamabad last week. She found it strange that people raised questions about her speaking in Urdu to the Pakistani media and that country's prime minister, Nawaz Sharif.

"Urdu is as much a language of my country (as it is Pakistan's)," she said in Urdu. But what upset her were comments on social media about her wearing a green sari on December 9, the day she met the Pakistani PM and her Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz. Swaraj said because it was a Wednesday she wore her customary green.

Those who have watched Swaraj over the years know that she wears clothes of a particular colour on a particular day of the week. Monday, the day of the moon, is reserved for white clothes and pearl gemstone; Tuesday being the day of Mars, she wears red or maroon; Mercury being the ruling planet of Wednesday, green is the colour of choice. Similarly, Thursdays are reserved for yellow, Fridays for grey and Saturdays for black. On Sunday she might wear clothes of any colour. This colour preference also stretches to her choice of food.