New Delhi: Sonia Gandhi took a trip down memory lane this Diwali, looking back at the festival celebrations at former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s official
residence, 1 Safdarjung Road. In a candid video shared across her social media handles on Sunday, Sonia was seen chatting in a garden with her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and granddaughter Miraya Vadra.
Looking back at those years, Sonia recounted how the sprawling residence was decorated with rows of traditional earthen diyas rather than electric lights, while authentic Kashmiri cuisine was cooked for the festive spread.
“We would do the first lighting of the diyas by Ganeshji’s murti. In those days we didn’t have those little lights everywhere but we had diyas everywhere, around the pond, all along the roof, veranda and along the path. It was very pretty,” Sonia said during the conversation, mentioning how she particularly enjoyed sparklers or ‘phuljhadi’.
Childhood visits to Old Delhi
Priyanka joined in, reminiscing about the pleasant autumn weather of the time and childhood outings with her father, Rajiv Gandhi. She fondly remembered heading into the crowded lanes of Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi to pick out firecrackers for the family.
Sharing the clip on X and Instagram, Sonia wrote, “Revisiting my early memories of celebrating Diwali – the traditions, the festivities and the little moments that made it so special.” The post comes shortly after Sonia made her debut on both digital platforms ahead of the release of her memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, which is scheduled to hit bookstands on Tuesday, November 10.
Emotional memoir recalls tragic 1984 turning point
In published excerpts from the upcoming book carried by The Guardian, Sonia has also opened up about deeply personal and painful moments from the family’s past. She recounts pleading with Rajiv Gandhi not to step in as prime minister following Indira Gandhi’s assassination on 31 October 1984, dreading that he might meet the same fate.
Rajiv was addressing a political rally in West Bengal when the news reached him, after which he flew back to Delhi and rushed directly to the hospital. Describing the moment they met, Sonia wrote, “We held each other, and as he spoke to me, it sunk in that he was saying something I didn’t want to hear. I have been asked; They want me to be sworn in as prime minister.”
She described being overcome by deep anger and terror at the prospect. “I felt as if a knife had been plunged right into my heart. I felt a pounding in my chest, a rage welling up deep inside me. I was about to explode. I attempted to hold it in,” she recalled in the memoir.
