NEW DELHI: Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi joined Instagram on Thursday and shared the first look of her upcoming memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, which is scheduled for release on November 10.In her first post on the social media platform, the 79-year-old Congress leader expressed gratitude while introducing the book 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 in the caption.“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 traces Congress MP’s journey from her childhood in post-war Italy to her relationship with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and the personal losses that shaped her life and relationship with India.
Memoir revisits childhood, Rajiv Gandhi and family tragedies
The book recounts Sonia’s early years in Italy, her romance with Rajiv Gandhi while they were associated with Cambridge, and the assassinations of her mother-in-law, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and her husband.Born in Italy, Sonia Gandhi was 19 when she met Rajiv Gandhi in Cambridge, England, in 1965. The couple married on February 25, 1968.She went on to become the longest-serving president of the Congress party.Her memoir is expected to offer a personal account of love, identity, duty and belonging, alongside her experiences as a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family and her life in India.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 wrote that he was proud his mother’s story 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.
India edition faces publishing uncertainty
The memoir is scheduled to be published internationally by Alfred A Knopf, an imprint of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, on November 10. The announcement was made on August 18.However, the book’s publication in India has faced uncertainty following a disagreement between Penguin Random House India (PRHI) and the author’s representatives over editorial changes.Penguin India said the publication process had reached an “impasse over a particular issue” during its normal editorial review. The publisher said some proposed changes had been accepted, while in other instances it had accepted the author’s position, but an agreement could not be reached on one issue.Penguin India denied that external pressure had influenced the decision and declined to disclose details of the disagreement, citing contractual obligations and author confidentiality.The dispute triggered a political controversy, with Congress leaders alleging that pressure had been exerted to remove sections concerning Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and China’s occupation of Indian territory during the Modi government.
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Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot described the episode as a “murder of democracy”.Penguin India rejected suggestions of external intervention, saying its review involved the usual editorial processes, including fact-checking and recommendations.Later, HarperCollins India had stepped in to publish the domestic edition, with the book expected to reach Indian readers on the same date as its international release.The status of the India edition had remained a point of contention following Penguin India’s exit from the deal.Former Congress president’s Instagram debut comes ahead of the memoir’s scheduled release, offering readers an early glimpse of the book and its account of her personal journey.