Congress leader Sonia Gandhi is set to open up about her personal life, family tragedies and political journey in a 544-page memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, scheduled to be published on November 10. In remarks released by publisher Alfred A Knopf, Gandhi said writing about her life required her to revisit deeply personal experiences and emotions that she had long kept private.
What drew Sonia Gandhi into politics
Reflecting on her entry into public life, Gandhi said it was "heartbreak and loss" that eventually pushed her into politics, despite having fiercely guarded her privacy until then. She said writing the memoir was not easy because it meant opening herself up and sharing moments and experiences she had kept deep inside.
Gandhi described the book as a reflection of the "tender joys and dark despair" that shaped her life.
"Much has been written about my family, but few narratives were able to reach into the truth of their motivations, their actions and even their very human failings," said the Rajya Sabha MP, adding that the book was "in many ways" a homage to their "humanness".
From post-war Italy to India
The memoir begins in Cambridge, England, in 1965, when Sonia Maino, then a 19-year-old student from Italy, met and fell in love with Rajiv Gandhi. They married three years later, beginning her journey from a relatively private childhood in small-town Italy to life in one of India's most prominent political families.
The book recounts her introduction to Indira Gandhi, her efforts to learn Hindi, adapt to Indian customs, wear saris and embrace Indian food and culture. It also follows her gradual adjustment to life in India and her relationship with the Gandhi family.
Tragedies that shaped the Gandhi family
A major part of the memoir deals with the personal tragedies that transformed the Gandhi family. Rajiv Gandhi's younger brother Sanjay Gandhi died in a plane crash, followed by the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984. Rajiv subsequently became prime minister and was himself assassinated in 1991 while campaigning for elections.
Gandhi's memoir reflects on how these successive losses affected her family and eventually influenced her own relationship with public life and politics.
For years, Sonia Gandhi resisted entering active politics despite mounting pressure. The memoir traces her eventual decision to enter public life and her subsequent rise within the Congress.
It also covers the pivotal events of 2004, when the Congress-led alliance won the general election, and Gandhi chose not to become prime minister despite being the alliance's central political figure. Her decision paved the way for Manmohan Singh to become prime minister.
Six decades of India through her eyes
Gandhi also presents her personal story against the backdrop of India's social, economic and political transformation over six decades. She describes India as "the beautiful country of my belonging" and reflects on how her understanding of identity, duty and home evolved over the years.
According to Knopf, the memoir offers an insider's perspective on India's post-independence history, as well as its social and economic changes and contemporary political struggles.
About the book and its release
Belonging: A Journey of Love will be released in hardcover and ebook editions by Knopf on November 10, while an audiobook edition will be published by Penguin Random House. The publisher has announced a first printing of 100,000 copies.
Knopf Executive Vice President, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Jordan Pavlin said the publishing house was honoured to bring out the memoir, describing it as an account of Gandhi's life, resilience, family and history.
Penguin Random House describes the book as an intimate account of love, family and India, with Gandhi offering readers an unusually personal look at her private world and her reflections on identity, duty and the meaning of home.
With inputs from PTI
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