'We Fell in Love with Him': Sonia Gandhi Reveals Heartbreaking Story of Her First Child's Death in New Memoir
The memoir describes the baby’s premature birth, his death a day later and the family’s decision to bury him at the Mehrauli farmhouse.
- On Tuesday, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi released her memoir, "Belonging: A Journey of Love," detailing the tragic 1969 loss of her first child, a premature baby boy.
- Gandhi gave birth to a boy on January 18, 1969, two months early; the family's joy lasted barely a day before he died.
- Facing difficult last rites decisions, the family buried him at Feroze Gandhi's Mehrauli farmhouse. Gandhi also recalls being wounded by a right-wing newspaper headline: "Indira Gandhi failed in her attempt to become the grandmother of a bastard child."
- The loss left Gandhi feeling "depressed, inadequate and guilty" for a long time. Gradually, the cloud of sorrow lifted after she shared news of another pregnancy with Rajiv Gandhi, leading to Rahul Gandhi's birth on June 19, 1970.
- Published by HarperCollins, the memoir offers a rare glimpse into the Gandhi family's private grief and how they coped with unimaginable pain following the tragedy.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Rajiv, Sonia had a baby boy before Rahul
Sonia Gandhi's memoir, "Belonging: A Journey of Love," reveals for the first time her profound grief over the loss of her first child, a boy born prematurely in January 1969. The intensely personal account details the family's brief joy, the baby's subsequent death, and the difficult decision regarding his burial at Feroze Gandhi's farm in Mehrauli, alongside the emotional toll and public scrutiny she faced.
Sonia Gandhi recalls losing first child, newborn's burial at Mehrauli farm
In her autobiography, Belonging: A Journey of Love, Congress MP Sonia Gandhi recalls losing her first child, a premature baby boy, in January 1969. She recounts her grief, her refusal to let the newborn's remains be consigned to a river, and how Rajiv and Sanjay Gandhi buried him at the family's Mehrauli farm.
'We fell in love with him': Sonia Gandhi reveals heartbreaking story of her first child's death in new memoir
In her memoir 'Belonging: A Journey of Love', Sonia Gandhi recounts the loss of her first child in 1969, her grief with Rajiv Gandhi, Indira Gandhi's reaction and the family's decision to bury the baby at their Mehrauli farmhouse.
Sonia Gandhi Recalls Losing First Child, Remembers How Indira Gandhi Consoled Her and Rajiv
New Delhi, November 10, 2026 (Yes Punjab News) Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has recalled the deeply painful experience of losing her first child, a baby boy born prematurely in January 1969, and shared how her mother-in-law, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, supported her and Rajiv Gandhi through the tragedy. In her memoir, Belonging: A Journey […]
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