When Rahul Gandhi’s friends skipped his birthday party after Congress 1977 loss, Sonia recalls in memoir

On June 19, 1977, Rahul Gandhi marked his seventh birthday in a somber atmosphere, due to his family's electoral defeat in the previous year's Congress Party elections. Sonia Gandhi, Rahul's mother, recounts this event in her memoir, Belonging: A Journey Of Love. The birthday was intended to be a simple celebration, with homemade cake, decorations, and snacks, but nearly all of Rahul's friends were absent.

Sonia's mother-in-law, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, had stored a box of clay toys in a tin box wrapped in cotton wool, intending to scatter them on the children's plates, which would startle the guests and bring laughter. At the party, Rahul's best friend, Siddharth, arrived alone, but more guests failed to show up. The political climate had tainted a simple association between a young boy and his classmates.

Despite Indira Gandhi's efforts to lift Rahul's spirits, he was visibly upset. Sonia recalls how her mother-in-law comforted him, stating, "It's not your friends' fault, Rahul, don't be upset with them. Maybe their parents are afraid of being friends with your family. Some people are scared of the government." The political upheaval and tension surrounding the family impacted the children's growing up, as Sonia notes, "It was a difficult phase in the children's growing up."