‘Where I really belong’: Sonia Gandhi in her memoir ‘Belonging: A Journey of Love’

Photos of Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra; and (inset) Sonia Gandhi’s memoirs. | Photo credit: Private collection

I kept my inner world to myself most of my life. Even after grief pulled me into politics, I clung to whatever I could, and writing openly about my life seemed almost unthinkable. It was only after stepping back from the daily maelstrom of public life that I could see my own story clearly.

Looking back, there was one thread running through it all: love and the loyalty that grows out of it. It all started in England, where a 19-year-old woman from a small Italian town met a young Indian student. It transported me to a new country and a new family, to a deep bond with my mother-in-law and through the years of raising our children. It also got me through the unbearable when I lost first my mother-in-law and then my husband to violence.

But what sustained me was my love for my husband and for India, the country where I felt I truly belonged. It also came with a sense of duty strong enough to drive me into public life, against every instinct I had.

This is not a political book. It’s a personal matter. Much has been written about my family, but rarely with any real understanding of who they were, their motivations, their struggles, their very human flaws. I wanted to portray them honestly, as people I knew and loved.

I also hoped to share what I have witnessed over five decades in India. I watched the earth transform, first from the edges and later from its center. This book is my account of this journey and the place I have come to call home.

Sonia Gandhi greets members of the public outside her office. | Photo credit: Getty Images

The writer is a senior politician and the longest serving president of the Indian National Congress.

Published – 7 Nov 2026 06:00 IST