Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi made her debut on social media platform X on 24 October 2026, sharing a video in which she recalled how her love story with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi began in 1965 at a small Greek restaurant called The Varsity in Cambridge, England. The post accompanied the announcement of her upcoming memoir, 'Belonging: A Journey of Love', scheduled for release on 10 November.

The Cambridge Beginning

In the video, Sonia Gandhi spoke warmly about the circumstances that brought her and Rajiv Gandhi together. She recalled the scarcity of good restaurants in England at the time and how she eventually discovered a Greek eatery frequented by Indian and Italian students — the very setting where their relationship first took root.

'In a small Greek restaurant in Cambridge, my journey of love began. Rajiv and I created a world filled with love, laughter and memories. On 10th November, I share that world with you,' she said in the post.

What She Said About Rajiv Gandhi

Sonia recalled being struck by Rajiv Gandhi's appearance and, above all, his disposition from the very first meeting, which came through a common friend. 'He was a very gentle-looking person. Of course he was very good-looking, but that gentleness came through. That was something that really touched me and struck me. I'll never forget when I first met him,' she said.

She added that an immediate sense of connection defined their earliest encounters: 'When I first met him, I felt almost immediately that he was someone I would really love to be with. And of course, I learned he felt the same.' The two subsequently became part of the same social circle, attending parties with mutual friends.

The Memoir: Scope and Publisher

Spanning 544 pages, 'Belonging: A Journey of Love' traces Sonia Gandhi's life from her childhood in post-war Italy through her meeting with Rajiv Gandhi, the personal tragedies she endured — including the assassinations of former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi — and her eventual entry into Indian politics. Pre-orders are already open. The book is being published globally by Alfred A. Knopf, with HarperCollins India handling its domestic release.

Sonia's Social Media Debut

The X post marked Sonia Gandhi's first appearance on the platform. Earlier on the same day, she also joined Instagram, where she shared a message introducing the memoir and its first look. 'Hello everyone, I'm truly grateful to share this moment with you all: the first look of Belonging: A Journey of Love. It is a story of love, duty, loss, and finding a place to belong. I look forward to sharing it with you,' she wrote. A video on the platform showed her receiving the first copies of the book and sharing sweets with her daughter, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the two also seen in a warm embrace.

What to Watch

The memoir's launch on 10 November is expected to draw significant public and political attention, given that it covers some of the most consequential and tragic episodes in modern Indian political history. Whether Sonia Gandhi continues to engage actively on social media beyond the book promotion cycle remains to be seen.