'A journey of love': Sonia Gandhi debuts on X, recalls Cambridge romance with Rajiv Gandhi

Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has shared a video on social media recalling how her love story with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi began in 1965 at a small Greek restaurant called The Varsity in Cambridge, England. The video was her first post on X. In it, she spoke about her upcoming memoir, 'Belonging: A Journey of Love', which is scheduled for release on November 10. She also shared personal memories of her life with Rajiv Gandhi, along with old photographs that offer a glimpse of the early days of their relationship.

"In a small Greek restaurant in Cambridge, my journey of love began," she said in the post. "Rajiv and I created a world filled with love, laughter and memories. On 10th November, I share that world with you."

Sonia Gandhi recalled that good food was hard to find in England at the time, as restaurants were relatively few. She said she eventually found a Greek restaurant that Indian and Italian students frequented, and that it became the setting for the start of her relationship with Rajiv Gandhi.

She said a common friend introduced the two, after which they became friends and attended parties together. "When I first met him, I felt almost immediately that he was someone I would really love to be with," she said, adding that she later learnt he felt the same.

Describing his personality, she said he was good-looking but that it was his gentleness that struck her and stayed with her.

Earlier on Thursday (Oct 22), Sonia Gandhi also joined Instagram. In her first post there, she introduced the book and thanked followers for the chance to share its first look. She described it as a story of love, duty, loss and finding a place to belong.

The accompanying video shows her receiving the first copies of the book and sharing sweets with her daughter, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The two are also seen hugging. Pre-orders for the book have opened. Alfred A. Knopf is publishing the memoir globally, and HarperCollins India is handling its release in India.

The 544-page book traces Sonia Gandhi's journey from her childhood in post-war Italy to her meeting and relationship with Rajiv Gandhi. It also covers the personal tragedies that shaped her life, including the assassinations of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, and looks at her subsequent role in Indian politics.