{
  "id": 16290206,
  "title": "‘He was very good looking’: Sonia Gandhi recalls first meeting with Rajiv in Cambridge",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/24/he-was-very-good-looking-sonia-gandhi-recalls-first-meeting-with",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-24T06:17:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/india/congress-sonia-gandhi-first-meeting-rajiv-good-looking-gentle-10-november-cambridge-italian-food-10934835/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has shared a video on her X account recalling her first meeting with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The video, posted alongside an announcement for her upcoming book \"Belonging: A Journey of Love,\" which is set to release on November 10, marks the beginning of her personal journey from her youth to the present.\n\nGandhi recounted how their relationship blossomed at a Greek restaurant in Cambridge. \"In a small Greek restaurant in Cambridge my journey of love began,\" she said. \"Rajiv and I created a world filled with love, laughter and memories.\" The Congress leader noted that they were introduced by a mutual friend and gradually formed a close bond while attending parties and exploring the city together. \"In those days, you didn't have so many restaurants like you have today,\" she recalled. \"I was constantly looking for a place where I could find some food closer to my Italian food, that kind. And then we discovered this place, which was a Greek restaurant where many students, especially European students, but also Indian students, used to go for their meals.\"\n\nSonia Gandhi described her initial impression of Rajiv as immediate and profound. \"When I first met him, I felt almost immediately that, you know, he was someone I really loved to be with,\" she said. \"Of course, I learned that it was the same for him.\" She remembered a Valentine's party attended by students, where Rajiv's gentleness and good looks left a lasting impression on her. \"He was a very gentle-looking person,\" she added. \"Of course, he was very good-looking, but that gentleness came through. And that was something which really touched me.\" The Congress leader's X account, which she joined in February 2013, shows this is her only post on the platform regarding the meeting with Rajiv Gandhi.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Sonia Gandhi recalls first meeting Rajiv Gandhi in Cambridge.",
    "Met through mutual friend at Greek restaurant, developed love.",
    "Described Rajiv as good-looking and gentle, lasting impression."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The upcoming release of her memoir shifts the focus from political leadership to the personal origins of a relationship that defined a significant era in Indian history.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Hindustan Times",
        "title": "Sonia Gandhi makes X debut, recalls falling in love with Rajiv Gandhi: ‘My journey of love began in Cambridge’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/24/sonia-gandhi-makes-x-debut-recalls-falling-in-love-with-rajiv-gandhi",
        "published": "2026-10-24T07:12:21.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Times of India",
        "title": "When Sonia met Rajiv: Congress leader narrates her 1st meeting with husband in X debut",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/24/when-sonia-met-rajiv-congress-leader-narrates-her-1st-meeting-with",
        "published": "2026-10-24T08:00:58.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}