A woman of substance, Sonia Gandhi has weathered many a storm in her life than one can possible think of. Like a true embodiment of shakti (Goddess of Power) she has emerged victorious after every setback and losses. She is one person who has helped India change its mindset - and accept her despite her foreign-origin. Sonia is the third woman of foreign origin to hold the prestigious post of president of INC after Annie Beasant and Nelli Sengupta. She is the eighth person of the foreign origin to be the Congress president. Not surprisingly she has proved herself more Indian than many Indians. If there is one metaphor which exemplifies Sonia Gandhi the best that would be her modesty. With a sense of detached attachment she has shouldered the responsibility of century-old party and has helped it leapfrog to power with commitment, which only comes to a visionary. It is in recognition to her contribution to the nation that she was named the third most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine, next to Condoleezza Rice and Wu Yi in the year 2004. Born into an Italian family on December 9, 1946, Sonia met her future husband Rajiv Gandhi in Cambridge during 1960s when the former Prime Minister was studying there. As luck would have it, they fell in love and were married in 1968 in a simple ceremony in New Delhi. An intensely private person, Sonia had always disliked the idea of her husband Rajiv Gandhi joining the nation's politics, she herself the least. But as events unfolded Rajiv had to jumped into the bandwagon after Sanjay Gandhi's untimely death in 1980. And Sonia had to do the same when her husband was assassinated in 1991. As a natural corollary, Sonia was offered the top post of the Congress after her husband's death. But a grieving Sonia declined the offer despite intense demand from within, to keep the party together. Known to hide her emotions behind a thick veil of privacy, Sonia who nursed little political ambition, finally joined the active politics in 1998, just before the national election. She took command of the left-leaning Congress as its president and was elected to parliament in 1999 and later as Leader of the Opposition for the 13th Lok Sabha in 1999. A soft-spoken person, Sonia launched an intense campaign in 2004 general election. After her party's victory; she was tipped to be the next Prime Minister of India. But she politely declined the offer and got Manmohan Singh elected as the Prime Minister of India. While her act was widely held as 'sacrifice' her opponent called it a political move. But Sonia's recent record-margin victory in 2006 by-election from Rae Bareli has once again silenced her critics. With her son, Rahul and daughter Priyanka actively involved in campaigning, the first political family of India is back with a bang. Thanks to Sonia's unconquerable will and her grit, which has helped the party regain its pristine glory.