The phenomenon called Sonia Gandhi

Hittu Saluja

“A woman who came to India for the love of her man and stayed here for the love of her nation”, reads the poster of the proposed film on Sonia’s life. Perhaps she is the most powerful woman of the world’s largest democracy, determined in action proudly carrying/ holding the legacy of Nehru-Gandhi family. This is how Sonia Gandhi, the public personality, is described. Behind this open-book is an enigmatic face that avoids limelight, public attention and wants to remain unnoticed. Describing her life after marriage, she resented, “The gaze of curiosity which followed me everywhere.” In a book dedicated to her late husband Rajiv Gandhi, she says, “It was an exasperating experience- the total lack of privacy, the compulsion to constantly check myself and repress my feelings…How was it possible to live like this!” She still does not like giving interviews or talking to media on public appearances. Raheed Kidwai, author of Sonia’s biography reveals her aversion for media as “media shy and hated being photographed.” The Unknown Sonia Sonia Gandhi cherishes and staunchly guards her right to privacy. The more she disallows peeping into her personal life, more curiosity she creates out of it. Though she has to present herself under public scrutiny, her personal likes and dislikes have been unknown aspects. How about an Italian relishing Kababs? Well…she loves digging into kababs even more than having Italian pasta. Sonia has often said that she loves the simple dal-chawal/ dal-roti combination the most. Though on campaigns she normally does with sandwiches, Sonia is known to be fond of Indian sweets. Sonia herself said in a Television Interview, “I never felt they took me as a foreigner. Because I’m not. I am an Indian.” So, what is so Indian about Sonia Gandhi? ‘Sari’ is the simple answer. Sari has not just added grace to her personality but has also made her acceptable among masses. Her very looks which are influenced by her mother-in-law, Late Mrs. Indira Gandhi, is not just an external makeover but an internal one too. Once she confessed that she felt awkward wearing Indian clothes and has even sparked a controversy when she was photographed wearing a mini-skirt. The credit goes to Indira Gandhi who added to her wardrobe the spell of Indian Saris. On her wedding, Sonia Gandhi wore a pink cotton sari which Nehru had spun while in prison…It was the same sari which Indira had wore for her wedding, says biographer Nicholas Nugent in his book Rajiv Gandhi-Son of a Dynasty. Now she likes to buy saris for herself from Martand Singh and Rakesh Thakur. Food and dressing apart, music and books keep her ticking. She likes classical music and reading biographies. She is in fact a voracious reader and passes most of her time by reading books. Fine arts interest her a lot. She took up a course in art restoration from National Museum in New Delhi. Emotional Upheavals Publicly, she is a well composed lady and rarely displays her emotions, though she has gone through many emotional tests. Rajiv Gandhi’s sudden death shattered her life with full blow. She retired to near oblivion and recluse for six years. She fought all ordeals in her own style and emerged as a powerful leader of mass connect. Her political road shows have left an inerasable mark finely blended with emotional outbreaks showing her resilience. “After my husband’s death, I suffered in silence as canards were spread. Now I won’t keep quiet.” Politics may have happened to her as a circumstantial chance but Indian-ness is what she achieved after years of evolution. She reclaims it simply by saying, “When I first came to Delhi in 1968, my father had given me a return ticket. But Delhi was the place of my second birth and the ticket, like my past, was lost in the mists of time.” Fact file

Sonia Gandhi was born in a place called Orbassano, 80 km away from Turin, on Dec. 9, 1946.

She was born to Stefano and Paola Maino, as Edvige Antonia Albina Maino.

Her father, a building contractor and former Fascist supporter, died in 1983.

Sonia went to a Catholic school in Italy. In 1964, she went to study English at The Bell Educational Trust`s language school in the city of Cambridge.

She married into the Nehru-Gandhi family on Feb 25, 1968.

Rajiv-Sonia’s wedding was a simple nondenominational ceremony in the garden of 1, Safdarjang Road. Sonia wore a pink sari made from cotton, which Nehru had spun while in prison... It was the same sari which Indira had worn for her wedding.

The couple had two children, Rahul Gandhi (born 1970) and Priyanka Gandhi (born 1972).

She became a full-fledged Indian citizen in 1984 after the death of Indira Gandhi.

Sonia`s husband Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a Tamil suicide bomber during a visit to Madras in 1991.

She finally entered politics just before the 1998 national election.

Sonia made her her maiden political speech on Jan 11, 1998 at Sriperumbudur.

In May 1999, Sonia Gandhi offered to resign from the Congress Party leadership after three senior leaders challenged her right as someone "not born of Indian soil" to try to become India`s Prime Minister.

She became a primary member of the Congress in 1997.

Sonia was elected to Lok Sabha from Rae Bareli in the elections held in 1999.

She was elected the Leader of the Opposition of the 13th Lok Sabha in 1999.

Sonia Gandhi is the eighth person of the foreign origin to be the Congress president. Sonia Gandhi was the fifth member of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty to take up the reins of the Congress party.

In August 2000 she became a grandmother for the first time when Priyanka gave birth to a son.

Sonia is named the sixth among ten most powerful women in the world by Forbes magazine in 2007.

On May 16, 2004 Sonia was unanimously chosen to lead the UPA government with the support of the Left

Congress President Sonia Gandhi on March 23, 2006 announced her resignation from the Lok Sabha and also as chairperson of the National Advisory Council due to the office of profit controversy.

Sonia Gandhi’s favourite holiday spots are Shimla and Kausauni.

A voracious reader Sonia’s favourite book is the autobiography of Helen Keller – The Story Of My Life.