Rajiv Gandhi, who served as Prime Minister from 1984 to 1989, was born on August 20, 1944.
ABOUT SONIA GANDHI'S MEMOIRadvertisementSonia Gandhi's memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, is set to hit the stands on November 10, publisher Alfred A Knopf announced on Tuesday.
The memoir traces her journey from post-war Italy to marrying Rajiv Gandhi and joining one of India's most powerful political families.
Sonia Gandhi also writes about former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, learning Hindi and adapting to life in India, as well as the family's tragedies, including Sanjay Gandhi's death.
Describing the memoir as difficult to write, Sonia Gandhi said it meant opening herself up and sharing experiences she had kept “deep inside”.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday gave a moving tribute to his mother Sonia Gandhi, saying he had watched her face everything life threw at her with “never-ending courage and dignity” since the death of his father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991.
Rahul Gandhi, 56, wrote the tribute on Rajiv Gandhi's 82nd birth anniversary, saying he was proud that his mother's memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, set to be released on November 10, would “soon be read by millions who love her”.
Read Full Story
In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi addressed his 79-year-old mother as “Mama” and recalled the last time he saw his parents together, more than 35 years ago.
“Since the day Papa left, I have watched you face everything life threw at you with never-ending courage and dignity. Only Priyanka and I really know what you have been through, and how difficult your life after Papa truly was,” he said.
He said he was “happy and so proud” that Sonia Gandhi's story would finally be read by millions of people who love her, adding that he knew how difficult it was for someone as private as his mother to tell the world her story.
“Today, on his birthday, I can see Papa smiling and looking down proudly at his beautiful Sonia,” the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said.
Rajiv Gandhi, who served as Prime Minister from 1984 to 1989, was born on August 20, 1944. He was assassinated by a LTTE suicide bomber in Tamil Nadu's Sriperumbudur in 1991, when Rahul Gandhi was 20.
PRIYANKA GANDHI'S TRIBUTE TO SONIA GANDHI
Rahul's sister and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi also paid tribute to Sonia Gandhi on Rajiv Gandhi's birth anniversary, saying her father would have been proud of his wife for writing her story with “so much heart and honesty”.
In a post on X, Priyanka Gandhi, 54, described her parents' relationship as “one of the greatest love stories of our time” and said she felt privileged to have witnessed it.
She said Sonia Gandhi's memoir would allow readers to know her beyond her public life -- as a “brave, loyal, compassionate woman” who was also “tough as nails and great fun when she wants to be”. “Love you, ma and so, so proud of you,” she ended her post.
ABOUT SONIA GANDHI'S MEMOIR
advertisement
Sonia Gandhi's memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, is set to hit the stands on November 10, publisher Alfred A Knopf announced on Tuesday. Penguin Random House India has not confirmed its India release date.
The memoir traces her journey from post-war Italy to marrying Rajiv Gandhi and joining one of India's most powerful political families. It covers her personal losses, including Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, which drew her into politics, and her decision to decline the Prime Minister's post in 2004.
Sonia Gandhi also writes about former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, learning Hindi and adapting to life in India, as well as the family's tragedies, including Sanjay Gandhi's death.
Describing the memoir as difficult to write, Sonia Gandhi said it meant opening herself up and sharing experiences she had kept “deep inside”.
- Ends
(with inputs from PTI)
