I knew Sushmaji from early 1970s when we were both studying law at the Panjab University in Chandigarh; she was two years my junior. We had been political opponents since then. Although those were our student politics days, which allowed us to be unreasonable or flippant on occasions, Sushmaji even then showed a rare maturity of political mind. What endeared her to everyone, including people like me who were firmly affiliated to the Congress, was her staunch belief that ideological rivalry should not be mixed with personal camaraderie.