With the release of her highly anticipated memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, just days away, publisher HarperCollins India has provided readers with a preview of the personal life of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Scheduled to hit bookstores on November 10, 2026, the book offers a rare look at her transition from her Italian roots to becoming an integral member of the prominent Nehru-Gandhi family in India.
The excerpts shared by the publisher highlight how Sonia Gandhi navigated her new surroundings by embracing the everyday rhythms of Indian life. The passages particularly focus on her evolving relationship with Indian cuisine, which served as a bridge between her heritage and her life with former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. According to the memoir, her introduction to the local palate was intense; she recalls tandoori chicken as one of the first dishes she sampled, describing it as “bright red, slightly charred and set her mouth on fire.”
As she settled into her life in India, these initial, sometimes startling, culinary experiences gradually evolved into a source of comfort and routine. The memoir details how she became accustomed to the traditional North Indian spread, which typically included rice, phulkas, various vegetable preparations, and meat dishes like mutton, fish, or chicken, all served on standard thalis. Perhaps most emblematic of her integration into the family household was the inclusion of arhar dal, which she described as a daily fixture of their shared meals.
Beyond the culinary anecdotes, the book delves into the broader philosophical journey of finding one's place in a new country. The narrative explores how a foreign environment transforms into a home over time. “How does a country become a part of you? It happens slowly, as the things that once felt unfamiliar become part of everyday life,” one of the snippets from the book reflects. These passages underscore the central theme of the memoir: that personal belonging is a process built upon repeated, small, and intimate experiences.
HarperCollins India has framed the book as a reflection on the intersection of private life and public responsibility. In social media posts accompanying the excerpts, the publisher noted that the memoir moves between themes of “love and loss, family and power, private life and public duty.” A key takeaway highlighted by the publisher is the evolution of the author's mindset during her time in India: “The unfamiliar becomes familiar. The familiar becomes loved. Love grows into responsibility. And that is belonging.”
The release of these excerpts has generated significant interest, as the book promises to offer a nuanced account of an “extraordinary life” set against the backdrop of a changing India. By focusing on the domestic and the personal, the memoir provides a distinct perspective on the woman who would go on to hold a central role in Indian political life for decades.
As the November 10 release date approaches, these initial glimpses serve as a taster for what promises to be a comprehensive narrative of her journey. The memoir is expected to provide deeper context into how personal bonds within the Nehru-Gandhi household helped shape her understanding of her public role, illustrating a transition that occurred not overnight, but through the deliberate process of living and adapting within a complex, vibrant society.
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