Sonia Gandhi Says Memoir Will Center Her Private Life, Not the Political Spectacle Around It
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Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has presented her forthcoming memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, as an intimate personal account of family, grief and belonging, set for release in India on November 10.
Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi said her forthcoming memoir is meant as a personal narrative, not as a political text, offering a rare glimpse into the human being behind decades of public scrutiny. In an interview with The Hindu, she said the book, titled "Belonging: A Journey of Love," reflects on her life, her family and the deep sense of belonging she feels for India.
"For most of my life, I kept my inner world to myself. Even after grief pulled me into politics, I held on to whatever privacy I could, and writing openly about my life felt almost unthinkable. Only after stepping back from the daily churn of public life could I see my own story clearly," Gandhi said.
She said the common thread throughout her life has been love and loyalty, beginning with her meeting a young Indian student in England and continuing through her marriage, the loss of close family members, and her public service.
"This is not a political book. It is a personal one. Much has been written about my family, but rarely with real insight into who they were, their motivations, their struggles, their very human flaws. I wanted to portray them honestly, as people I knew and loved," the former Congress president added.
Gandhi also said the memoir covers major family tragedies, including the deaths of Sanjay Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, while also recounting political milestones such as the Congress-led alliance's 2004 election victory and her decision not to become prime minister.
HarperCollins India will publish the memoir, with the Indian release scheduled for November 10, bringing to a close a previous impasse between the author's representatives and Penguin Random House India.