Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi made her debut on X on Saturday, sharing a video recalling her first meeting with former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi ahead of the November 10 launch of her forthcoming book, Belonging: A Journey of Love.
In the nearly two-minute video, Sonia Gandhi revisited her early days in Cambridge, England, where a mutual friend introduced her to Rajiv Gandhi at a Greek restaurant. The book, her first, recounts her memories with Rajiv Gandhi and traces her journey from childhood to the present.
"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 her first post on X.
Recalling their first encounter, Sonia Gandhi said she was searching for a restaurant that served food closer to her tastes, particularly Italian cuisine, before discovering the establishment where they met.
"And so, we discovered this place (Varsity Restaurant). It was a Greek restaurant, where many European students, but also Indian students, used to go for their meals. And that is then where I met Rajiv in that very restaurant," the former Congress president said.
She recalled feeling an immediate connection with Rajiv Gandhi.
"When I first met him, I felt almost immediately that you know he was someone I would really love to be with. And, of course, I learned that it was the same for him," Sonia said.
Sonia Gandhi recalls Rajiv Gandhi's gentle nature
Sonia Gandhi said a common friend introduced them, after which they became friends and began attending social gatherings and exploring places together.
"Then, you know, we became friends. Then going to parties with friends or going to see sights or we went to a Valentine's party where there were lots of students.
"He was a very gentle-looking person. Of course, he was very good-looking, but that gentleness came through. So that was something which really touched me and struck me. So that of course, I'll never forget when I first met him," she said.
While looking through photographs in the video, Sonia Gandhi described Rajiv Gandhi as a good-looking and gentle person. The couple married on February 25, 1968.
Congress leaders welcome Sonia Gandhi to X
The Congress welcomed Sonia Gandhi's arrival on the platform, posting: "A new voice joins the conversation! CPP Chairperson Smt Sonia Gandhi ji makes her Twitter (X) debut.
Congress leader Pawan Khera, while resharing her video, wrote: "The story of Sonia Ji and Rajiv Ji feels like a midsummer night’s dream - beautiful, idyllic, almost too perfect until a dark cloud of tragedy shattered it.
Yet, even in the face of unimaginable loss, the promise of responsibility, duty, loyalty and sacrifice endured.
Sonia Ji has now joined X, sharing beautiful anecdotes from her early meetings with her husband, Rajiv Gandhi Ji.
And in her book, Belonging: The Journey of Love, she has poured even more of her heart into telling a story of love, loss and unwavering resolve - a story too wholehearted to be forgotten."
Sonia Gandhi also joined Instagram on October 22, sharing a first look at her forthcoming memoir and expressing gratitude to her supporters.
"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."
The memoir traces her life from her childhood in post-war Italy and her romance with Rajiv Gandhi to her move to India and the personal losses that shaped her life and relationship with her adopted country.