Sonia Gandhi Joins Instagram, Shares First Look of Memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love

Sonia Gandhi has joined Instagram and unveiled the first look at her memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, which is due for release on November 10. The 79-year-old Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson shared the reveal on Thursday.

In her first post on the platform, Gandhi highlighted the personal themes of the book and introduced it to readers. “Hello everyone, I’m truly grateful to share this moment with you all; the first look of Belonging: A Journey of Love,” she wrote. “It is a story of love, duty, loss and finding a place to belong. I look forward to sharing it with you,” the post added.

The memoir is scheduled to be published on November 10 and centres on Gandhi’s personal journey across family, grief and identity. Times of India reported that the book moves from her early life in Italy to her years in India and the losses that shaped her relationship with the country.

Memoir's Personal Arc

The book looks back decades.

It follows Sonia Gandhi from a childhood in post-war Italy through her years with Rajiv Gandhi and the bereavements that influenced her bond with India. Born in Italy, she first met Rajiv Gandhi in Cambridge, England, in 1965, when she was 19.

The couple married on February 25, 1968. She later became the longest-serving president of the Congress party. The memoir also revisits her youth in Italy and the courtship with Rajiv Gandhi during their Cambridge years.

It also turns to family tragedy. The book addresses the assassinations of her mother-in-law, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and her husband Rajiv Gandhi, placing those events within her life in India and her place in the Nehru-Gandhi family.

Rahul Gandhi's Praise

Rahul Gandhi had earlier expressed excitement about the book.

On the 82nd birth anniversary of his father, Rajiv Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha expressed pride that his mother’s account would reach readers. “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. I know how hard it was for someone as private as you to tell the world your beautiful story. Today, on his birthday, I can see Papa smiling and looking down proudly at his beautiful Sonia,” Rahul Gandhi said.

His remarks came before Sonia Gandhi’s Instagram debut.

India Edition Dispute

Alfred A Knopf, an imprint of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, will publish the memoir abroad on November 10. The publisher announced the release on August 18.

The India release ran into trouble after Penguin Random House India and the author’s representatives clashed over edits. Penguin India said the book had reached an “impasse over a particular issue” during its normal editorial review. It added that some suggested changes were accepted on both sides, but the two parties could not settle one point.

The publisher denied that outside pressure played any role and declined to disclose details, citing contractual obligations and author confidentiality. Congress leaders then alleged that pressure had been exerted to remove sections concerning Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the RSS and China’s occupation of Indian territory during the Modi government. Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot described the episode as a “murder of democracy”.

Penguin India rejected suggestions of external intervention and said its review followed the usual editorial processes, including fact-checking and recommendations. HarperCollins India later stepped in to publish the domestic edition, with the book expected to reach Indian readers on the same date as its international release. Even so, the status of the India edition remained a point of contention after Penguin India exited the deal.