Sonia Gandhi was born in 1946 to Italian parents in a small village in northern Italy. She was raised as a Roman Catholic and attended a Catholic school. Her life changed in 1964 when she went to study English in England. It was there that she met and fell in love with Rajiv Gandhi, the future Prime Minister of India.

 

The couple were married in 1969. Sonia quickly got a taste of Indian politics when she moved in with her mother-in-law Indira Gandhi, India’s Prime Minister. They decided to stay out of politics. Rajiv was an airline pilot and Sonia stayed at home to look after her family. This changed dramatically in 1984 when Indira was assassinated and Rajiv became Prime Minister.

 

Following her husband's assassination in 1991, she was under a lot of pressure to become leader of the ruling Congress Party. She refused many times over the next seven years. She hated politics and said she would rather her children be beggars than politicians. She finally joined the Congress Party and became its president within a record 62 days of joining.

 

She has been Congress President for ten consecutive years – another record. In 2004 she was asked to lead a 15-party coalition and be India’s Prime Minister. She refused and caused a political storm. She is still a member of parliament for Uttar Pradesh. She now speaks at international conferences and makes the yearly lists of the world’s most powerful or influential women.