Sushma Swaraj, 67, died of a cardiac arrest at AIIMS in Delhi on Tuesday evening

The death of former foreign minister Sushma Swaraj has been mourned as much by top leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, as by men and women living abroad - from Indians stranded in conflict zones to foreigners requesting urgent visas for medical treatment - whom she helped through difficult times.

Her compassion and desire to help wasn't limited to people in foreign lands - a family in Madhya Pradesh were left grateful to Ms Swaraj after she saved the life of their son, who was born with congenital heart problems.

Devesh Sharma's son was born on January 23, 2017, with a heart problem that needed urgent surgery.

"I ran from one hospital to another and from one heart specialist to the other in Bhopal, but no one was ready to perform surgery to save my son's life. I tweeted to PMO, PM Modi, the union health minister and the minister for external affairs Sushma Swaraj. However, the response came with a few hours from none other, but Sushmaji," Mr Sharma, a software engineer, told NDTV.

The grateful father described the next 48 hours as a "godsend", saying Ms Swaraj's staff coordinated every aspect of the operation, including airlifting him to Delhi, where the surgery was performed and the boy's recovery monitored by the minister's staff.

"My son whom we fondly call Kanha is not only healthy and fine now, but also has a younger brother," a happy Mr Sharma said.

The incident is an apt tribute to Ms Swaraj, who, even while undergoing a kidney transplant in 2016, responded to SOS messages - like that of a Twitter user from London seeking help in renewing his visa because of a medical emergency.

"She (Swaraj) is like an elder sister for everyone, but for me and family, she'll always be a goddess who saved my son's life. She not only ensured prompt surgery of my elder son, who is now two and half years old, but when she came for follow up after her renal transplant at the same hospital in New Delhi, she didn't forget to meet me and enquire about his health," he added.

My son couldn't get his official name from his life saviour but if we had a daughter or if we're blessed with a girl child in future, she will be named Sushma only," he said.

Sushma Swaraj, 67, died of a cardiac arrest at AIIMS in Delhi on Tuesday evening. A full state funeral was held the following day, and today her daughter, Bansuri Swaraj, and husband, Swaraj Kaushal, immersed her ashes in the holy Ganga River.