Apart from heading the Congress, Sonia Gandhi is also a source of inspiration for prominent Spanish writer Javier Moro. His book, “The Red Saree and Other Stories”, is about Sonia’s personal transformation and a “dramatised biography” of her life.

“It is a drama about change, how people change, how people adapt. I have found it mysterious how a woman as reserved as Sonia became one of the most powerful women in the subcontinent,” said Moro, during a session with authors Florence Noiville and Madhu Trehan.

Moro said Sonia’s marriage to Rajiv Gandhi was a “strange love story.” He described how Sonia’s father had discouraged his daughter’s union with a powerful political family, since he knew that “people in high positions of power were subject to certain risks.” 

“She was deeply in love with Rajiv and his assassination was a great loss,” said Moro. 

Sharing details of his first meeting with Sonia, Moro said: “I first met her at Rashtrapathi Bhavan in Delhi at a function to felicitate Dominique Lapierre. I went up to her and joked–Madam, four years I have been sleeping with you–referring to the years I had been researching on her for my book. And she simply moved away saying–we never read anything written on us.”