The Red Sari

the long version

In the year 1965, Sonia Maino, a 19-year-old Italian student met a young Indian boy, Rajiv Gandhi, while they were both studying in Cambridge. She was born into a modest family in suburban Turin, where her father was a strict man who kept a close eye on his three daughters. Much to his chagrin, his painfully-shy middle daughter, of whom he was especially protective, fell in love with a man belonging the most powerful family in India. This marked the beginning of a story unlike any other - of a carefree Italian girl who was compelled to take on the murky world of rajneeti. With information sourced from close friends and colleagues, this book examines how Sonias courage, honesty and dedication have made her a leader in the eyes of one-sixth of humanity. From her idyllic childhood to her passionate love affair and from her days as a docile daughter-in-law to her current status of being the only Indian politician to have refused prime ministership.