Sonia Gandhi expects ‘Tamasha’ over memoir Belonging, says readers may change their view of her

New Delhi: Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi expects her upcoming memoir to spark reactions, saying readers may look at her differently after learning about her life and experiences in her own words.

“There’s bound to be some tamasha when this book comes out,” Gandhi said in a video released ahead of the publication of Belonging: A Journey of Love on November 10.

The Congress leader said she decided to write the memoir because several accounts of her life over the years were either inaccurate or exaggerated. She wanted to put the record straight and explain what happened from her perspective, rather than leave her story to be shaped by others.

“Well, I felt that since a lot had been written about me and a lot of it was not quite correct, you know, it was either invented or exaggerated. So it gave me a feel of being able to now put down my story and describe facts and things as they were, as they really were,” she said.

There’s bound to be some tamasha when this book comes out. After all, others have spent decades telling my “story”, now it’s my turn. https://t.co/jDy5vBI8ey

— Sonia Gandhi (@SoniaGandhi) October 27, 2026

Sonia Gandhi says readers may view her differently

Gandhi acknowledged that sharing her experiences might not change everyone’s opinion of her for the better. She said people would draw their own conclusions after reading the book, depending on how they viewed her public life and personal decisions.

“Some people may change their view about me. some people’s view may become worse but that’s what it is. That’s what happens when you write a book or when you are in public life,” she said.

She also touched upon the circumstances surrounding her husband, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, being asked to take over as prime minister. Sonia Gandhi said she had been completely opposed to the idea at the time, although she did not elaborate on the episode in her brief remarks.

Memoir revisits her life in Italy and India

Belonging: A Journey of Love traces Gandhi’s journey from her childhood in Italy to her life in India after marrying Rajiv Gandhi. Her experiences as the daughter-in-law of former prime minister Indira Gandhi and her eventual entry into politics also form part of the story.

The memoir revisits major personal losses that shaped her life including Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984 and Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination in 1991.

Gandhi’s account looks back at more than six decades of her life in India, exploring the relationships, personal struggles and experiences that shaped her understanding of love and belonging. The book is expected to offer readers a more personal account of a political figure whose life has often been discussed in public.