Sonia Gandhi joins Instagram, unveils memoir ‘Belonging: A Journey of Love’

Dubai: Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi has made her Instagram debut, sharing a video offering a first look at her upcoming memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love.

In her first post on the platform on Thursday, October 22, the 79-year-old Congress leader introduced the book, describing it as a deeply personal account of love, duty, loss, and the search for belonging.

“Hello everyone, I’m truly grateful to share this moment with you all; the first look of Belonging: A Journey of Love,” Gandhi 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,” she added.

The video offers a glimpse into the memoir, which traces Gandhi’s journey from her childhood in Italy to her life in India as the wife of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family.

Sonia Gandhi’s memoir

The memoir revisits key personal experiences, including her early life in Italy, meeting Rajiv Gandhi in Cambridge, England, and the family tragedies that shaped her life.

Gandhi met Rajiv Gandhi in 1965, when she was 19. The couple married on February 25, 1968.

The book also reflects on the assassinations of her mother-in-law, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, in 1984 and her husband, Rajiv Gandhi, in 1991. These events profoundly affected her family and ultimately led her to enter politics.

Sonia Gandhi went on to become the longest-serving president of the Indian National Congress, leading the party for more than two decades.

When will ‘Belonging’ be released?

Belonging: A Journey of Love is scheduled for publication on November 10, 2026. Alfred A. Knopf will publish the book internationally, while HarperCollins India will handle its Indian edition.

The memoir promises a personal account of Gandhi’s experiences, her relationship with India and the events that shaped her public life. It also explores themes of identity, family, duty and the meaning of home.

Her Instagram debut comes as interest builds ahead of the book’s release.

Rahul Gandhi expresses pride

Rahul Gandhi has also expressed pride in his mother’s decision to share her life story with readers.

On the 82nd birth anniversary of his father, Rajiv Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said he was happy his mother’s story would reach millions.

“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,” he wrote.

He acknowledged that writing the memoir would have been difficult for someone as private as his mother, adding that he believed his father would be proud of her for sharing her story.

With inputs from IANS