NEW DELHI: Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi recalls her early experiences of Indian food, clothing and family life in excerpts from her forthcoming memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, set for release on November 10.
Publisher HarperCollins has shared glimpses of the memoir, including her first experience of Indian food with her late husband, Rajiv Gandhi.
One of the first dishes she tried was tandoori chicken. “It was bright red, slightly charred and set her mouth on fire,” the publisher’s post says. She gradually grew accustomed to family meals served on thalis, consisting of rice, phulkas, vegetables and mutton, fish or chicken, along with arhar dal.
Sonia considered the sari one of the most elegant garments in the world, but learning to wear it was difficult.
For her engagement, she chose a jade green and pale yellow sari, which needed several safety pins to hold the drape in place. At her wedding, she wore a sari woven from yarn spun by Jawaharlal Nehru in prison during the freedom struggle, according to the publisher.
“How does a country become a part of you?” asks the publisher’s post, accompanied by photographs of Sonia interacting with people.
“It happens slowly, as the things that once felt unfamiliar become part of everyday life,” it says.
Earlier excerpts shared on social media recalled her meeting Rajiv at a small Greek restaurant in Cambridge. In her first post on X, she described him as good-looking and gentle.
The memoir also traces her entry into public life after years of resisting politics. It recounts her travels across India to campaign, meet people and listen to their concerns.
Sonia went on to serve as a Member of Parliament, Congress president, UPA chairperson and National Advisory Council chairperson. The book also covers her marriage, her introduction to her mother-in-law and former prime minister Indira Gandhi, and her efforts to settle in India, including learning Hindi.
It also recounts the events that changed the family’s life, including Sanjay Gandhi’s death in a plane crash, Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984 and Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination in 1991.
The memoir further examines the political developments surrounding the Congress-led alliance’s victory in the 2004 elections, when Sonia declined to become prime minister and instead led the party and its alliance, which governed the country for a decade.
