Sonia Gandhi made her debut on social media platform X on Saturday with memories of a love story that started in a small Greek restaurant in Cambridge.
In his first post, he recalled his first meeting with Rajiv Gandhi and the initial days spent with him.
Ahead of the release of her book 'Belonging: A Journey of Love' on November 10, Sonia shared memories with her husband Rajiv Gandhi during her debut on X.
While turning the pages of her new book, Sonia Gandhi shows the section of photographs and says, "Actually he (Rajiv) was very handsome. But I was touched by his gentleness."
She further says, "The food in England at that time was not as tasty, nor were there as many restaurants as there are today. So I kept searching for food close to the taste of Italian food. During that time, our friends together discovered a Greek restaurant, where European and Indian students used to come to eat. It was there that I met Rajiv."
In the video shared on X, he shared the memories of his first meeting with Rajiv Gandhi in Cambridge.
Sonia Gandhi has discussed very little about her personal life with the media. But his personal life has become a topic of discussion in many ways.
Before launching his autobiography 'Belonging: A Journey of Love', he has talked about his life through video.
She says of her first meeting with Rajiv Gandhi, "From the very first meeting I had the feeling that this was someone with whom I would love to live. And indeed I found out that he had a similar feeling."
She further said, "I remember when I met him for the first time, a common friend introduced us. And then we became friends, then we started going to friends' parties, going to places here and there. We also went to a Valentine's party, where there were many students. He was a very gentle looking person. Actually he was very good looking but that gentleness in him touched me. So. I will never forget that feeling when I met her for the first time and was impressed."
It is worth noting that Sonia Gandhi had also knocked on Instagram two days before coming on X. There he had uploaded a reel related to the first look of his book, which has been viewed by 5.7 million users so far.
79-year-old Sonia Gandhi's autobiography 'Belonging: A Journey of Love' will be published on November 10. It will be published by Alfred A. Knopf in America and William Collins in Britain.
This book is being discussed a lot even before it is published in India.
In a statement issued through Alfred A. Knopf, Sonia Gandhi said that she wanted this memoir to be "a testimony to the journey of my heart, which has included the joys and deep disappointments of my life."
According to William Collins, the book begins in Cambridge in 1965. At that time, 19 year old Italian student Sonia Maino falls in love with Rajiv Gandhi.
According to the publishers, in this part of the book, Sonia Gandhi looks at her life with great warmth and frankness.
His life begins with his childhood in a small town in Italy. After this she unexpectedly reached the center of Indian politics.
However, his personal life has been full of sorrow and ups and downs. When her mother-in-law Indira Gandhi was shot by security guards, Sonia Gandhi took her to the hospital.
Seven years later, a suicide bomber assassinated her husband Rajiv Gandhi. After this Sonia Gandhi brought his dead body home.
Within a few hours of her debut on X, Sonia Gandhi got about 22 thousand followers.
Many leaders and journalists have reacted on social media by sharing their memories of the days spent with Rajiv Gandhi.
Congress leader Pawan Kheda wrote on Twitter, "Sonia ji and Rajiv ji's love story 'Midsummer Night Dream'." Beautiful, peaceful and so perfect that it is difficult to believe. But then a dark cloud of tragedy scattered everything.
''Yet, amidst unbearable suffering, the resolve for responsibility, duty, loyalty and sacrifice remained. Sonia ji has now joined X. She has shared some beautiful stories of her initial meetings with her husband Rajiv Gandhiji.
In his book Belonging: A Journey of Love, he has poured out even deeper feelings of his heart in this story of love, pain of separation and unwavering determination. This is a story that has been told with such passion that it is difficult to forget it.
VD Satheesan, Chief Minister of the Congress government in Kerala, while reacting to Sonia Gandhi's video post, wrote, "Your journey full of love, duty and determination has inspired generations. On November 10, we all will have the privilege of getting a glimpse of that precious world shared by you and Rajiv ji."
Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti also reacted to this.
She wrote, "I have had the privilege of meeting Sonia ji several times and after every meeting I have always returned impressed by her cordiality and dignity. The way she has accepted both victory and defeat with equal dignity and composure in the face of difficult circumstances is extremely inspiring."
He also wrote, "Despite facing so much continuous hatred and opposition, the honesty, gentleness, love and generosity with which Sonia Gandhi has shared her life journey reflects the depth of her personality."
A TV journalist Ajay Kumar reacted to Sonia Gandhi's video.
He wrote, "It is a pleasant change that an Indian politician of national level is publicly sharing things related to his personal life, relationships, love and family. For some reasons, public display or acceptance of personal feelings and affection is rarely seen in Indian politics.
The Cambridge meeting of Rajiv and Sonia has also been mentioned by famous journalist Rashid Kidwai in his biography on Sonia.
According to a BBC article, Rashid Kidwai says, "There was a gathering of Cambridge University students every day in the Varsity Restaurant. They all used to drink beer. Rajiv was the only one among them who did not even touch the beer. Then Sonia's eyes fell on that tall, innocent boy with dark eyes and a charming smile."
"The attraction was equal on both sides. Rajiv had first written a poem on her beauty on a napkin and sent it to Sonia through a waiter. Sonia was a little uncomfortable on receiving it but a German friend of Rajiv, who also knew Sonia, played the role of a messenger very well."
Rashid Kidwai says, "The interesting thing is that Rajiv did not tell Sonia till the end that he was the son of the Prime Minister of India. After a long time, Indira Gandhi's picture was published in a newspaper. Then Rajiv Gandhi told Sonia that this was his mother's picture."
"Then an Indian student studying in Cambridge told her that Indira was the Prime Minister of India. It was then that Sonia realized for the first time how important a person she was in love with."
Ashwani Bhatnagar, who has written a book on the life of Rajiv Gandhi, had told BBC that when Rajiv Gandhi went to Cambridge to do a tripos course in engineering, there he met Italy-born Sonia Gandhi in 1965.
Ashwini Bhatnagar says, "Rajeev convinced the restaurant owner Charles Antony to seat him at the table next to Sonia. Like a good Greek businessman, Charles charged him double the money for this."
