Sonia Gandhi Recalls Love Story With Rajiv Gandhi in First X Post Ahead of Memoir Launch

Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi made her debut on X on Saturday, sharing a video recalling how her love story with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi began at a Greek restaurant in Cambridge, England, in 1965.

The post also offers a glimpse into her forthcoming memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, scheduled for release on November 10. Gandhi described Rajiv as gentle and good-looking, saying his gentle nature left a lasting impression on her when they first met.

How Sonia Gandhi Met Rajiv Gandhi

Recalling their first meeting, Sonia Gandhi said she was searching for a restaurant serving food closer to her Italian tastes when she discovered the Varsity Restaurant, a Greek eatery frequented by European and Indian students.

A mutual friend introduced the two, after which they became friends and began attending parties and sightseeing trips together. Gandhi said she felt almost immediately that Rajiv was someone she would love to be with.

“He was a very gentle-looking person. Of course, he was very good-looking, but that gentleness came through,” she recalled, explaining what first attracted her to him.

Memoir to Trace Her Personal Journey

In her first X post, Gandhi wrote that her journey of love began in a small Greek restaurant in Cambridge, adding that she and Rajiv built a life filled with love, laughter and memories.

The memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, traces her journey from her childhood in Italy to her relationship with Rajiv Gandhi and her life in India. It also recounts the personal losses that shaped her life, including the assassinations of former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.

Sonia Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi married on February 25, 1968. Rajiv Gandhi served as Prime Minister from 1984 to 1989 and was assassinated in May 1991.