Punjab Newsline | New Delhi

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi joined Instagram for the first time on Thursday, sharing a video introducing her upcoming book, Belonging: A Journey of Love, which is scheduled to be published on November 10.

Sonia Gandhi published her first post at around 9 am. By noon, it had received approximately 59,000 likes, while her account had attracted around 13,000 followers. She is following three accounts: Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and the Indian National Congress.

In her first post, Sonia wrote, “Namaskar, I am happy to share my book with all of you. It is a story of love, duty, loss and the search for a place to belong. I look forward to sharing it with you all.”

The book is expected to offer insights into her personal life and political journey, including her decision not to accept the post of Prime Minister in 2004.

Sonia traces her life from her childhood in Italy to her meeting with Rajiv Gandhi in Cambridge. The narrative also explores her marriage into the Nehru-Gandhi family and the profound changes in her life following the assassinations of family members.

In her account, Sonia reflects that much has been written about her family, but its intentions, work and human dimensions have not always been understood in the way she believes they should be. She describes the book, in many ways, as a tribute to her humanity.

The book also offers a personal perspective on nearly six decades of social and political change in India, viewed through the experiences of a woman who became part of one of the country's most prominent political families.

Looking back on her life after stepping back somewhat from politics, Sonia identifies a recurring theme of love and loyalty. She traces this thread from her ordinary childhood in a small Italian town to her life in India as Rajiv Gandhi's wife and Indira Gandhi's daughter-in-law.

Through the book, she seeks to share a more personal account of the experiences,

relationships and choices that have shaped her life beyond the public image associated with her political career.