Jab they met: Priyanka and Robert Vadhera

New Delhi: A yearn for leading a less complicated life made a base for the love saga of Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi's only daughter Priyanka Gandhi. She was tall and beautiful, and he was a commoner with simple looks. She was India's first family's only and most eligible daughter. He was just a businessman from the dusty town of Moradabad, famous for its brassware. He is of a short stature and not with all that extravagant looks. But as they say `love is blind', their love did not see boundaries and they fell for each other. The foundations of this uncommon alliance were laid six years before the couple got married. Priyanka was 20 and Robert was 22 when they first met each other at an Italian home in Delhi, at a party arranged by their Italian friends and a seed of liking was sowed there. Priyanka was trying to reconcile her self-determination and liberty at that time after her grandmother, Indira Gandhi's assassination in 1984. The assassination had upset her normal life and she was under Z plus security guarded round-the-clock. Her freedom was curtailed to the extent that she could not attend normal school, home tuitions were arranged for her. Her meetings with friends decreased too. The garden of the Prime Minister's house at 7 Race Course Road was the only place where she could feel free without any security guards around.Her childhood was struck with major tragedies, starting with Sanjay Gandhi, her uncle's death in an air mishap, then her grand mother shot dead by her bodyguards and lastly her father Rajiv Gandhi, blown up by a suicide bomber. The series of assassination in her family made her soemtimes feel whether death was in the air for the entire Gandhi family. Her father's note read : "In the event of my death as well as that of my wife, Sonia, at or about the same time, at the same place or at different places, within or outside India, our bodies should be brought to Delhi and cremated together, in accordance with Hindu rites, in an open ground. In no circumstances should our bodies be burnt in a crematorium. According to our custom, our eldest child Rahul should light the pyre. It is my wish that our ashes should be immersed in the Ganga at Triveni, Allahabad, where my ancestors' ashes have been immersed." Amidst all the political tensions, Priyanka kept longing for a regular and ordinary life. Robert's family had a business in brassware in Moradabad. The family had Hindus, Christians and Muslims living together. Robert's mother was a Roman Catholic and his elder brother married a Muslim. The family had a resourceful history. Robert's grand father, Hukumat Rai Vadhera had journeyed to India at the time of partition. He had to leave his business of sports goods in Sialkot and he settled in Bangalore. Robert's father had received prizes for his brilliance in billiards. Right at a time when Priyanka was gathering herself after tragic incidents in her family, another catastrophe hit them with the news of Rajiv Gandhi's assassination. She stood firm and strong to support her shattered mother. She was seen making arrangements for the funeral sternly. That was the time when people saw her as her grandmother's replica, in place and composed. Robert lived in New Friends Colony of Delhi along with his mother and sister and was just like any other countrymen for the Gandhi family. Yet Priyanka was attracted towards him. The number of their meetings increased and the pair was seen dancing in Delhi's nightclub. Their love kept blossoming with every meeting and finally the day arrived when the curtain was raised from the relationship and the families were made aware of it. The Nehru-Gandhi family, who had a history of love affairs, was reluctant towards the alliance initially. But just like her grand mother, Priyanka stood by her decision and made things work out smoothly at her place. After a few discussions, the relationship received a positive nod from mother Sonia. Priyanka's family wanted to keep the marriage a hush-hush affair. The guest-list was curtailed to 150. Few very close friends were invited which included the Bachhans. The rest got cards which informed them about the marriage seeking blessings. Even small kids were avoided, citing the reason that kids will be difficult to handle. The 15-month old daughter of Robert's brother was the only kid at the wedding. Priyanka looked glorious in the Khadi sari which her grandmother indira wore for her wedding.In the middle of all the adversities, their love bloomed and found its way. The couple was blessed with two children, Raihan and Miraya.

Jab they met: Priyanka and Robert Vadhera

New Delhi: A yearn for leading a less complicated life made a base for the love saga of Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi's only daughter Priyanka Gandhi. She was tall and beautiful, and he was a commoner

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