In an astonishingly revealing interview, where he regales the audience with a collection of delightful but also searingly honest anecdotes about former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, a former senior official of her prime minister’s office, has painted a picture of Mrs. Gandhi that is simultaneously charming and appealing, honest and revealing but does not hide her inflated opinion of herself, her love of international honours, her exaggerated concern for her family, her short temper and the little things that she was obsessed about.In a 50-minute interview with Karan Thapar for The Wire, Chinmaya Gharekhan, India’s former Permanent Representative to the UN, who had spent 26 months in Indira Gandhi’s PMO, discussed many of the anecdotes about Indira Gandhi published in his new book Centres of Power: My Years in the Prime Minister’s Office and Security Council. The book was launched this evening, May 19.In the interview, Gharekhan has also shared new anecdotes which are not part of his book. All of them are about Indira Gandhi.No one has brought Indira Gandhi to life more vividly than Gharekhan with his anecdotes. Together they capture practically every facet of a prime minister who still entrances this country even 40 years after her death.I, therefore, strongly recommend this interview for two key reasons. First, because the stories and anecdotes are riveting and revealing. Second, because you will discover things about Indira Gandhi that not only are not well-known but would otherwise never be found out.