Sonia Gandhi unveils memoir ahead of November release (Img: Dynamite News)
New Delhi: Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi made her Instagram debut on Thursday, sharing the first look of her upcoming memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, which is scheduled for release on November 10.
In her first post on the platform, the 79-year-old Congress leader introduced the book and expressed gratitude to readers as she offered a glimpse of her personal story.
“Hello everyone, I’m truly grateful to share this moment with you all; the first look of Belonging: A Journey of Love,” she wrote in the caption.
“It is a story of love, duty, loss and finding a place to belong. I look forward to sharing it with you,” the post added.
The memoir chronicles Sonia Gandhi’s journey from her childhood in post-war Italy to her relationship with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, as well as the personal tragedies that shaped her life and her connection with India.
The book revisits Sonia Gandhi’s early years in Italy, her romance with Rajiv Gandhi when they were associated with Cambridge, and the assassinations of her mother-in-law, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and her husband.
Born in Italy, Sonia Gandhi was 19 when she met Rajiv Gandhi in Cambridge, England, in 1965. The couple married on February 25, 1968.
She subsequently rose to become the longest-serving president of the Congress party, playing a central role in Indian politics for several decades.
The memoir is expected to offer an intimate account of love, identity, duty and belonging, drawing on her experiences as a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family and her life in India.
Her son and Congress MP, Rahul Gandhi, had earlier expressed excitement about the publication. On the 82nd birth anniversary of his father, Rajiv Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said he was proud that his mother's story would finally reach readers.
“I am happy, and so proud, that your story, 'Belonging: A Journey of Love' will finally be read by the millions of people who love you. I know how hard it was for someone as private as you to tell the world your beautiful story. Today, on his birthday, I can see Papa smiling and looking down proudly at his beautiful Sonia,” Rahul Gandhi said.
The memoir is scheduled for international publication on November 10 by Alfred A Knopf, an imprint of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. The publication was announced on August 18.
However, the book's Indian edition faced uncertainty after a disagreement emerged between Penguin Random House India (PRHI) and the author's representatives over proposed editorial changes.
Penguin India said the editorial process had reached an “impasse over a particular issue”. The publisher maintained that some suggested changes had been accepted, while in other cases it had agreed with the author's position, but the two sides could not resolve one outstanding matter.
The publisher denied that external pressure had influenced its decision and declined to disclose further details, citing contractual obligations and the need to maintain author confidentiality.
The disagreement sparked a political controversy, with Congress leaders alleging that pressure had been exerted to remove passages concerning Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and China's occupation of Indian territory during the Modi government.
Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot described the episode as a “murder of democracy”.
Penguin India rejected allegations of external intervention, saying its review followed standard editorial procedures, including fact-checking and recommendations.
HarperCollins India subsequently stepped in to publish the domestic edition, with the book expected to reach Indian readers on the same date as its international release.
The status of the Indian edition had remained contentious following Penguin India's withdrawal from the publishing arrangement.
Sonia Gandhi's Instagram debut now offers readers an early glimpse of the memoir ahead of its scheduled release, bringing renewed attention to a book that promises to chronicle her personal journey, family life and decades-long association with Indian politics.
