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Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra revisited cherished memories of Diwali celebrations with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, recalling family traditions, festive decorations, trips to Old Delhi's Chandni Chowk to buy firecrackers and the special moments that brought the family together.
In a conversation shared on social media, Sonia Gandhi reminisced about the way Diwali was celebrated in the family, describing the elaborate decorations, traditional rituals and festive gatherings that made the occasion special. "Oh, Diwali I loved. So, Diwali was always beautiful," she recalled in a video shared on her Instagram account, speaking about the decorations that once transformed the family home into a festive spectacle. Recalling the traditional rituals, Sonia Gandhi said a Ganesh idol was placed at the entrance of the house, where the first diya of the celebrations was lit. She added that the idol is now kept at her residence. She also remembered how the family decorated the house with traditional earthen lamps before decorative electric lights became commonplace, illuminating the pond, rooftops, verandas and pathways. "At the entrance, there used to be a Ganesh Murti, which is now in my house. And so, we would do the first lighting of the diya in front of Ganesh Ji's Murti. And it was always decorated. In those days, we didn't have those little lights everywhere, but we had diyas everywherearound the pond, all along the roof, veranda, and along the path, wherever there was a path. So, it was very pretty," she said. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also recalled how festivals such as Holi and Diwali were celebrated with great enthusiasm, with people from different walks of life gathering in the family garden. The conversation then turned to one of the most exciting aspects of Diwali celebrations during their childhood -- buying and bursting firecrackers. Remembering the excitement surrounding the festivities, Sonia Gandhi said the family would sometimes get carried away with firecrackers. Priyanka recalled how her father, Rajiv Gandhi, would take them to Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi to purchase crackers. "Papa used to take us to Chandni Chowk to buy crackers. We used to go to Old Delhi to buy crackers," Priyanka recalled. Sonia Gandhi also remembered phuljhadis, the traditional sparklers, saying she enjoyed them, although she was less enthusiastic about some of the noisier fireworks. Beyond the lights and crackers, it was the atmosphere of the season that remained particularly memorable for her. Beyond the lights and firecrackers, Sonia Gandhi said the atmosphere during the festive season was particularly memorable. Recalling the weather during those celebrations, she spoke about the clear blue skies that formed the backdrop to the festivities. "Weather at that time was beautiful. Blue skies and all, which you hardly see now. Yeah, it was lovely," she said. Food was another important part of the family's festive traditions. Sonia Gandhi recalled that celebrations were marked by Kashmiri cuisine and a traditional sweet rice preparation, a culinary tradition that continues in the family. "And then, on festivals, we always used to have Kashmiri food and that sweet rice, like that, which we still make, by the way," she said. Sharing the video on Instagram, Sonia Gandhi also reflected on the traditions and little moments that made Diwali celebrations special. "Revisiting my early memories of celebrating Diwali - the traditions, the festivities and the little moments that made it so special...Wishing everyone a Happy Diwali" https://www.instagram.com/reel/DfeK_nTtbAa/?xtok=cDk1Y3kxZGUxMG8w The conversation offered a glimpse into the family's personal celebrations and the memories associated with the festival, highlighting how traditional rituals, family gatherings and shared experiences shaped their festive occasions. Sonia Gandhi has also documented several personal experiences and significant moments from her life in her memoir, titled Belonging: A Journey of Love. The memoir chronicles Sonia Gandhi's journey, from her childhood in post-war Italy and her romance that brought her to India to the personal losses that profoundly shaped her life and her relationship with her adopted country. In the book, the 79-year-old Congress veteran, who holds the distinction of being the party's longest-serving president, revisits her childhood in Italy, her relationship with Rajiv Gandhi during their time at Cambridge, and the assassinations of her mother-in-law, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and her husband, Rajiv Gandhi. Publisher Alfred A Knopf announced on August 18 that Belonging: A Journey of Love would be published on November 10. Alfred A Knopf is an imprint of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC, whose parent company is Bertelsmann AG, an international media company. Born in Italy, Sonia Gandhi was a 19-year-old student in Cambridge, England, when she met Rajiv Gandhi in 1965. The couple exchanged vows on February 25, 1968. (ANI)
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