Sonia Gandhi has released her long-awaited political memoirBelongingpresenting a candid look at her personal life alongside six decades of India’s evolving political landscape. The book charts her transformation since arriving in India in 1968, documenting the shift from a Congress-dominated secular republic to the current era of Hindu nationalism under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Throughout the narrative, the veteran Congress party leader opens up about deeply private heartbreaks as well as major historical crises. David Cameron’s 2019 memoir, For the Record, took aim at his former friend, Michael Gove, describing him as “mendacious” and a “foam-flecked Faragist”. In Belonging, she opens up for the first time about the extraordinary twists and turns of a life that has largely unfolded in full public view. (Hannah Ellis-Petersen has a rare in-person interview with Gandhi, and you can read an excerpt from the book here.). An observation that can be read in the context of US President Donald Trump’s use of personal insults and ridicule against opponents, she adds that similar things are happening elsewhere in the world. According to the renovation work on the Delhi property included was, To have had a major makeover. Hear it in the neighbourhood and feel it in the atmosphere, you can see it in the streets.
Reflecting on her personal tragedies, Gandhi writes about the painful loss of her first child, who died shortly after birth. She also recalls the chilling discovery of hidden grenades inside a room of her home following Operation Blue Star, the 1984 military action targeted at Sikh separatists inside the Golden Temple in Amritsar. These personal glimpses sit alongside her front-row account of national violent tragedies, including the 1984 assassination of her mother-in-law, Indira Gandhi, and the 1991 assassination of her husband, Rajiv Gandhi. On occasion, she adds, he has asked briefly about her health after a hospital stay. She shares that, despite wielding authority, Indira could feel besieged and profoundly alone, and this was particularly acute, Gandhi writes, in the months leading up to the declaration of the Emergency by her mother-in-law, in her recollections of Indira.
The memoir does not shy away from controversial chapters in the history of the Congress party and her own family. Gandhi re-examines the 21-month period of Emergency rule declared by Indira Gandhi in June 1975, during which democratic civil liberties were suspended and political opponents faced imprisonment. She provides a reflective account of these turbulent events while examining how they shaped the country’s democratic trajectory. Saying that the suggestion it decided not to publish the book because of refused editorial changes “does not accurately reflect the circumstances”, penguin has disputed her account. F ew love stories have been as closely entwined with a nation’s history as that of Sonia and Rajiv Gandhi.
Highlighting the severe political polarization in contemporary India, Gandhi reveals that she has had “practically no real contact” with Narendra Modi during his 12 years leading the government. She observes that during the rare instances they have occupied the same space, such as the house speaker’s small chamber, Modi “tends to look away, avoiding eye contact.” She views this disconnect as a stark departure from earlier era politics, noting that opposing political figures previously “would treat one another with cordiality.” As an example, she notes how she immediately telephoned then-BJP Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee to check on his safety after the 2001 parliament terror attack, an effort he openly appreciated. For years, Gandhi’s son, Rahul, has been the subject of BJP’s ridicule, which calls him Pappu, a derisive term intended to portray him as inexperienced and naive. And his media interactions have largely been one-on-one interviews with sympathetic, pro-government news anchors or in one much publicised exchange with a Bollywood actor who asked him how he liked to eat mangoes, modi has consistently avoided facing journalists in an open forum. Readers from India and around the world on the festival of lights and tell us how they celebrated.
In contrast to past political norms, Gandhi criticizes the current climate as an increasingly authoritarian style of politics aimed to “belittle and torment” political adversaries. She points out how her son, Rahul Gandhi, has been repeatedly targeted and ridiculed by the ruling party. She also highlights the changing dynamic between political leaders and the press, recalling how journalists once had routine opportunities to question prime ministers directly. Under Modi’s 12-year administration, he has not held a single solo press conference, only attending one briefing at the end of an election campaign and appearing at joint press events alongside visiting US presidents.
Addressing the challenges facing female leaders, Gandhi recounts a 2012 dialogue with Hillary Clinton regarding women in high office. She notes that despite India’s early history of prominent female leadership, high-ranking women often navigate intense loneliness in male-dominated environments. Recalling Indira Gandhi’s tenure, she observes that despite her immense power, Indira frequently experienced profound political isolation. Gandhi similarly describes her own feelings of isolation when she eventually accepted the leadership of the Congress party out of a sense of obligation to her family’s political legacy. It’s lonely at the top for India’s female politicians.
The journey to publishBelongingalso highlights growing concerns surrounding freedom of expression in India. Penguin Random House India was originally scheduled to publish the memoir but pulled out of the project in August. Gandhi disclosed that the publisher was “uneasy in general with the criticism of the government” and indicated that it faced intense pressure. Following Penguin’s withdrawal, the book was released in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf and published within India by HarperCollins. Earlier in the year, Penguin had similarly cancelled plans to distribute graphic journalist Joe Sacco’sThe Once and Future Riota work centered on the 2013 Muzaffarnagar communal violence—citing concerns over an inaccurate map of India. I have been living abroad for over 10 years now and it’s always a bittersweet time of the year where I miss my family and the general vibe of Diwali in India. The two will be in conversation with curator Ranjit Hoskote on Friday. Followed by a breakfast of traditional Marathi Diwali snacks, my favorite part of Diwali back home was getting up before sunrise on Narak Chaturdashi and having a ceremonial bath.
Unlike many Western political figures who openly name adversaries and detail private fallouts in post-government memoirs, Gandhi maintains a relatively restrained approach. While she writes fondly of the long-standing close relationship between the Gandhi family and Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan—noting that she stayed with his parents when she first moved to India—she handles political betrayals and quiet fallouts with reserved commentary, often withholding names when addressing those she considers thoroughly dishonest. According to in another instance, she does not name the political leader she describes as “thoroughly dishonest” and who she, She trusted in 1999, when Congress unsuccessfully attempted to form a coalition government.
Beyond political developments, contemporary Indian culture and government affairs continue to move forward. Art Mumbai is scheduled to run from 12-15 November at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse, showcasing a major collaboration between artist Baaraan Ijlal and renowned lyricist Javed Akhtar. Meanwhile, official records reported by the Indian Express show that the official bungalow of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu recently underwent renovations costing Rs 6.5 crore (£518,000) by a state-owned enterprise.
In the entertainment sector, Bollywood’s major adaptation of the Hindu epicRamayanafeaturing Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi, debuted on 5 November to widespread attention as the most expensive Indian film produced to date. Across the diaspora and inside the country, Indians have also been celebrating Diwali, highlighting how cultural traditions remain vibrant and unifying amid evolving political tides. It earned praise from Peter Bradshaw, who described it as “thoroughly engaging, rousing and spectacular”, touted as the most expensive Indian film ever made. Which includes trading the traditional boxes of mithai for Manner Schnitten and marzipan, but I am trying to build new traditions as one half of an Indian-Austrian couple.
