Sonia Gandhi Foresees a ‘Tamasha’ as She Prepares Her Memoir
WHO:
India Today - Sonia Gandhi is chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party.
India Today - Sonia Gandhi said her memoir describes “love, duty, loss and finding a place to belong.”
NDTV - Sonia Gandhi, described as 79 and a Congress leader, is writing a memoir titled *Belonging: A Journey of Love*.
NDTV - Gandhi said her husband, Rajiv Gandhi, was asked to become prime minister after Indira Gandhi was assassinated; Sonia said she was “totally against” his becoming prime minister.
NDTV - Gandhi recalled that a common friend introduced her to Rajiv Gandhi, after which they became friends and attended parties with friends.
NDTV - Alfred A. Knopf is publishing the memoir globally; HarperCollins India is handling its release in India.
WHAT:
India Today - The memoir recounts Sanjay Gandhi’s death in a plane crash and Sonia Gandhi’s decision to decline the prime minister’s post after the Congress-led alliance won the 2004 general election.
India Today - After Sonia Gandhi stepped aside following the 2004 election, Manmohan Singh became prime minister.
India Today - Sonia Gandhi’s opposition to Rajiv Gandhi becoming prime minister was portrayed in Javier Moro’s novel *Red Sari*, which described her as viewing his decision as a “death sentence.”
India Today - Sonia Gandhi shared her memoir video on her social media accounts, marking her Instagram and X debut; the video showed her receiving copies of the memoir and sharing sweets with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
India Today - Sonia Gandhi followed Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and the Congress party on Instagram; several senior party leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, followed her account.
India Today - The memoir covers Sonia Gandhi’s role in rebuilding Congress and leading the party and the UPA during the decade after the 2004 election.
Hindustan Times - The memoir covers Sonia Gandhi’s childhood in Italy, her life in India, and the love, loss and sense of belonging that shaped her life over six decades in India.
Hindustan Times - The book revisits Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984, Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination in 1991, and Sonia Gandhi’s eventual entry into politics.
NDTV - Gandhi said much of what had been written about her was “either invented or exaggerated” and that the memoir would let her “put down my story” and describe events as they really were.
NDTV - Gandhi said people might change their opinions of her, or their opinions might become worse, and predicted the memoir’s release would be “bound to be a tamasha.”
NDTV - Gandhi shared a teaser about the memoir in a video posted on X.
NDTV - Gandhi said her relationship with Rajiv began in 1965 at The Varsity, a small Greek restaurant in Cambridge, England. She said she felt almost immediately that he was someone she would love to be with and later learned he felt the same.
NDTV - Gandhi said she would share the world of love, laughter and memories she and Rajiv created through the memoir.
The Times of India - The article asks readers whether memoirs can change public perceptions of political figures and offers the options: “Yes, they have a significant impact,” “Sometimes, but not always,” and “No, perceptions are usually fixed.”
WHERE:
NDTV - The Varsity restaurant was in Cambridge, England.
NDTV - The memoir is being published globally, with HarperCollins India handling its release in India.
WHEN:
NDTV - The memoir is scheduled for worldwide release on “November 10,” which NDTV says is right after Diwali.
NDTV - Gandhi said her love story with Rajiv began in 1965.
WHY:
India Today - Sonia Gandhi said writing the memoir gave her the opportunity to record events as she experienced them.
NDTV - Gandhi said she decided to tell her story because much had been written about her that she considered inaccurate, invented or exaggerated.
HOW:
India Today - Before her social media debut, Sonia Gandhi had used Congress’s official social media platforms to release statements, letters and other public messages.
Hindustan Times - Sonia Gandhi said, “I don't know if I should tell the whole story,” before referring to her opposition to Rajiv Gandhi becoming prime minister.
NDTV - Gandhi discussed her memoir and its reception in a video posted on X and recalled her relationship with Rajiv through remarks about their first meeting and shared memories.
(UPDATED October 28, 2026 08:04 UTC)
Sonia Gandhi is writing her memoir, *Belonging: A Journey of Love*, to record her own account of a life shaped by love, loss, politics and the search for belonging, and it is scheduled for worldwide release on November 10. She says much written about her has been invented or exaggerated, and the book revisits her childhood in Italy, her life in India, the assassinations of Indira and Rajiv Gandhi, her entry into politics and her role in rebuilding Congress after the 2004 election. Gandhi also recalls meeting Rajiv in Cambridge in 1965 and says she was totally against his becoming prime minister after Indira Gandhi was assassinated.
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(UPDATED October 27, 2026 22:11 UTC)
Sonia Gandhi is writing a memoir to tell her own story, saying much of what has been written about her was invented or exaggerated. *Belonging: A Journey of Love* covers her childhood in Italy, six decades in India, the assassinations of Indira and Rajiv Gandhi, and her eventual entry into politics. Gandhi also recalls meeting Rajiv in Cambridge in 1965 and being “totally against” his becoming prime minister; the book is scheduled for worldwide release on November 10.
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(UPDATED October 27, 2026 19:08 UTC)
Sonia Gandhi says her memoir, *Belonging: A Journey of Love*, will set the record straight on what she calls invented or exaggerated accounts of her life; it is scheduled for worldwide release on November 10. In a video posted on X, she recalled meeting Rajiv Gandhi at a small restaurant in Cambridge in 1965 and said she was “totally against” his becoming prime minister after Indira Gandhi was assassinated. Gandhi says the book will share the love, laughter and memories she and Rajiv built together, while acknowledging its release could change public opinions of her.