Protective sister
Sunanda Pushkar was extremely protective of her younger brother Ashish Dass. Once, during a school picnic to Chhat Bir Zoo, Patiala, the bus where the two were travelling in along with 70 others, rolled down a slope towards the river Ghaghar. While a tree halted the fall, Sunanda wrapped her brother's arms through the tossing and turning of the bus, and didn't let go of him, till they were rescued. While Sunanda suffered a dozen bruises, Ashish came out of the accident unscathed.

Doting mother
Two years after the passing away of her husband Sujith Menon, Sunanda moved with her son Shiv Menon to Toronto in 1999. Money was scarce in the initial years, and the mother-son often lived on jam, bread, and butter. Once, when her son complained about eating boring food, while his friends went to McDonald's, Sunanda made a mental note. After she started to earn more money, she would sometimes go to McDonald's in the middle of work to pick up lunch for Shiva and drop it off.