The country has been fascinated by the awakening of the Sphinx, the thawing of the Iron Woman. Till now, they had nothing but negatives for her -- `unsmiling', `unfriendly', `unapproachable'. But today she's become the most positive crowd-puller and vote-catcher for the Congress party.I'm talking of Sonia Gandhi, of course, the elusive, enigmatic Italian widow of India's first family, who became the leading issue in this election.
Whether the enthusiastic response she got will help the Congress in the long run is another matter. What matters now is that the lady has come into her own. When Rajiv Gandhi was alive, she was always in the public eye but even so, managed to keep in the background. She was always the bahu, the wife and mother, who never stepped out of line. She guarded her privacy with a zeal that's unmatched. In spite of so many public meetings, just how many have interacted privately with Sonia Gandhi?
I'd like to talk about in now my private meetings with Sonia Gandhi. They were meantto be personal memories, but I guess I can go public now. I kept them private only because I felt she wanted it that way. She knew I was a journalist, and yet she always agreed to meet me, one to one. I value that trust. I think it's a quality that Sonia Gandhi herself values immensely. If she chose to keep to herself, I think it's primarily because she's afraid to trust many people. You don't have to be a political animal for this. You only have to be a sensitive human being. I appreciated her sensitivity the very first time I met her. We were at an exhibition and while everyone fussed over her husband, she stayed quietly in the background. I walked by her side and as she studied the paintings, she mentioned how she couldn't keep pace with Rajiv's hectic election tours (she's doing so, now). She chose, sometimes, to be home with her college-going daughter, but she confessed she worried about him. She had just met me for the first time, but she was totally candid.
The next time we met was soon after Rajiv'stragic death, in her office at 10, Janpath. When I told her I'd attended the funeral, she exclaimed: ``Please don't talk about that day I can't remember anything.'' The pain was writ large on her face, but she was in firm control of herself. I couldn't help musing about my pleasant meetings with her husband, and how I'd always asked him if I could meet Sonia. His answer had been: ``You'd better try asking her yourself. Sonia won't listen to me!'' Then she asked me about my job, my family, and I was touched.
The next time I met her was with my family. She spoke to every one of them, including my 80-year-old mother-in-law, to whom she said: ``I like your Kerala mundu!'' We were struck by her soft but intense tone as she spoke of her community projects in Amethi. The Italian accent was charming. When I said that I'd known nothing of her work, she smiled: ``That's the way I like it.''
I remember telling her that I hoped she would continue her work without becoming a public figure. Her answer was a warmsmile. We met again after my stint in Bangkok, where my husband was based. I was in Delhi for just two days but she gave me an appointment immediately. When we met, her first question was about my family. And she was curious about Thailand. She made it a point to understand as much as possible about the people around her, without giving away too much herself. The moment I asked her about her future plans, the enigmatic smile returned. I haven't met Sonia Gandhi in a long time. I'm not sure if I'm happy about her new public image. She seems to have been pushed into it, and I hope she can retain her mystique. As well as her warmth, spontaneity, and intrinsic interest in people. To me, she was no Sphinx or Iron Woman, but simply a sensitive and rare human being.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
