In the Lok Sabha, all Congress eyes remain fixated on the left hand corner seat in the eighth row of the treasury benches. That is where the hope of the Congress rests. And as in Kabul, Rahul keeps a low profile in Parliament. Although he was absent for most of the monsoon session, he is an avid listener whenever he is in the house. And he sometimes slips from being the heir apparent to just another first timer as he trades gossips with other backbenchers and waves to his friend Omar Abdullah across the hall. At times, to the delight of his first-timer pals, he is caught off guard by enthusiastic Congress ministers eager to make their contact with the Gandhi scion. In the last session, realising that Rahul was sitting right behind her, Union Minister Renuka Chowdhury craned her neck and indulged in an acrobatic 20 minutes of animated monologue. The minute Chowdhury paused for breath, Rahul gave her one of his dimpled smiles, politely picked up his headphones, tuned out Chowdhury and tuned into the House proceedings.

HIS FATHER'S SON

RELUCTANCE: Politics was not the first choice for either father or son. Both gave into emotional pressure from their mothers. Rajiv was MP at 37; Rahul at 34. GADGETS: Like Rajiv, Rahul likes fast cars. Rajiv was an Indian Airlines pilot. Rahul sneaks off with his nephew and brother-in-law to watch air shows. EDUCATION: Both studied at Doon School and at Cambridge University. Rajiv fell in love with an Italian, Rahul is currently dating a Venezuelan, Juanita. PRIVACY: Both fiercely protective about their private lives. Rajiv had a very close circle of friends and Rahul spends most evenings with Priyanka and Robert.

It's not just the backbenches where India's most indulged political apprentice is a curiosity. He had to change his gym recently as the trainer waited until the Gandhi scion climbed onto the treadmill, turned up the speed before he approached him with a list of requests. The trainer knew that once he had Gandhi on the treadmill he had a captive audience. The Congress too is aware of the fact that they have got Rahul on a political treadmill. It's the worst kept family secret that had Priyanka been a boy, Rahul would still be riding his mobike to work at his office in the London-based consulting firm Monitor. But destiny-and Sonia-chose Rahul. So he traded his mobike for a staid white Ambassador and his corporate office for the Parliament of India.

That was 15 months ago. He has since shifted from his mother's house to his own fortified bungalow on Tughlak Road. It's a grade VIII house, one that is meant for cabinet ministers. Then again, he is no ordinary first timer. But talk to Rahul and he could be mistaken for a boy next door, a very shy and serious boy at that. He talks animatedly of scuba diving, films by offbeat Japanese auteurs, management books and mobikes.

PICTURE SPEAK

IN HIS FOOTSTEPS: Rajiv and Rahul campaigning in Bihar

Last month, the media blew the cover on one of his favourite pasttimes-mobike racing with his friends. Like his father, Rahul too loves fast machines. Although that race track has been exposed it hasn't taken him long to find another one in Gurgaon. Amongst the MPs, he prefers to hang out with the public school face of Parliament-Deora, Prasada, Madhu Gaud, Pilot and Abdullah. His visits to Central Hall are few and his interactions with the media restricted to his visits to Amethi. Therein lies the contradiction of the man: he wants to embrace public life, but away from the public glare. On his birthday this June, hordes of Congress workers collected outside his gate, a large cake in tow, desperate to wish their young leader in true sycophantic Congress style.

They went away disappointed. Rahul preferred a quiet celebration with his family.

He has to bridge the gap between his reclusive nature and the life his mother has planned for him. It is quite a bitter postscript to Sonia's own tryst with Indian history that the wife who was so reluctant to push her husband into politics is now keen that their son should pick up his father's mantle. The heir apparent is now desperately trying to redefine his 118-year old legacy, seeking global seminars instead of poll battlegrounds.

Recently, he met a group of young CEOs in Bangalore and discussed e-governance. In his conversations he is known to refer a lot to Michael Porter, the Harvard don. He also visited Guwahati and met representatives of academic institutes. Both these were private trips and not Congress events.

As a member of the standing committee on Home Affairs, Rahul has also spoken passionately about the North-east. "He reiterated that it is a vital part of India and not just a far flung corner to be ignored," points out a MP. Rahul is also a member of the consultative committee, Ministry of Civil Aviation. On February 18, during a meeting in Mumbai where the Minister Praful Patel talked about the low cost airline Air India Express, Rahul pointed out the dangers of such a venture, giving global examples where such airlines have gone bust. After the meeting while some other committee members moved on to the nightclub Indigo for dinner, Rahul flew back to Delhi as it was his sister's wedding anniversary. His family came first.

PICTURE SPEAK

LEARNING CURVE: Rahul at a youth camp in Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh

Rahul's track record in grassroot politics is not as bright as his performance in committees. In an initial burst of enthusiasm he had announced that he would be holding training camps for the youth in Uttar Pradesh. So far, he has held only two camps at Chitrakoot and Gorakhpur. He warned the youth not to count on him alone as some sort of a super saviour but to work hard to strengthen the organisation. Points out an aide: "He is somewhat disillusioned by these camps. He feels that people just come to chat him up. There are no follow-ups on the programmes." As did his father in his early days, Rahul too has little patience for sycophants.

In comparison, Rajiv Gandhi's entry into politics, however, accidental the circumstances, was a well choreographed move. Cabinet ministers were encouraged to call on him. It may take longer for Rahul to command the same respect. Last fortnight he had to seek his mother's help to nudge the Petroleum Ministry into setting up a technical training school in his constituency. He is still unsure of his own power-perhaps the official tag of a general secretary will help him to assert his authority.

This reticence was obvious from his initial campaigns. During the 1999 general elections, both the Gandhi siblings accompanied their mother on the electoral fields. While Priyanka boldly embraced the crowds, Rahul surveyed the crowds warily. During a rally in Haryana, he noticed that the aged CLP leader Kartari Devi was standing as no one wanted to give up their chair for her. It was Rahul who picked up a chair and brought it for the startled lady. He belongs to the same brand of public school politics as his father. "Whenever I see Rahul, I see Rajiv Gandhi. He has the same style of functioning, the same smile and the same shy reserve," says Murli Deora. He has what it takes, but is Rahul ready to be the keeper of his father's legacy? He remains too opaque, and inaccessible, for India to make up its mind.

-with Saurabh Shukla in Kabul

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