Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has joined Instagram, using her debut post to share a first look at her upcoming memoir, 'Belonging: A Journey of Love'.
"Hello everyone, I'm truly grateful to share this moment with you all; the first look of Belonging: A Journey of Love," she wrote on the verified account. "It is a story of love, duty, loss and finding a place to belong. I look forward to sharing it with you."
The video shows Gandhi unveiling her book with her daughter and Congress Leader Priyanka Gandhi with her.
The 544-page memoir will be published on November 10. Publisher Knopf announced the book on August 18 and revealed its cover, a black-and-white photograph of Gandhi from her youth designed by John Gall.
The publisher describes her as "once famously reticent", and says she opens up "with warmth and candor" in the memoir.
ALSO READ | Why Shashi Tharoor Praised Govt And Police After India Bloc Protest Against CEC Gyanesh Kumar
Her children have already backed the book. Rahul Gandhi wrote to his mother that he was "happy, and so proud" that her story would finally be read by the millions who love her.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra described her mother on Instagram as "a brave, loyal, compassionate woman, who is also tough as nails and great fun when she wants to be".
The path to publication in India was not smooth. Reports suggested Penguin Random House India had decided against publishing the memoir after Gandhi did not agree to proposed changes to the manuscript. The publisher said this did not accurately reflect what happened.
ALSO READ | BJP Slams Rahul Gandhi, Congress Amid CJP Protest Crackdown In Delhi: 'India Is Not A Banana Republic'
HarperCollins India later confirmed it would bring out the book in the country on November 10, ending weeks of uncertainty.
The book traces her life from childhood in post-war Italy to her meeting with Rajiv Gandhi in Cambridge in 1965 and her move to India. It also covers the assassinations of Indira Gandhi in 1984 and Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, and her entry into politics.
Gandhi, 79, remains one of the Congress party's most influential leaders. The account's debut marks a rare step into social media for a leader who has long guarded her private life.
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.