- Amitabh, Jaya Bachchan receive minimal or no mention.
Sonia Gandhi’s newly released memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, offers a rare and intimate glimpse into her early years in India, bringing her historically complex relationship with the Bachchan family back into the spotlight. While the book warmly recounts the profound affection and invaluable guidance she received from poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan and his wife Teji Bachchan, it notably glosses over the eventual political and personal estrangement that fractured the two prominent families. Amitabh Bachchan finds only fleeting mentions in the narrative, leaving decades of subsequent public distance and political disagreements completely unaddressed in the pages.
Finding Comfort In 13 Willingdon Crescent
Long before Amitabh Bachchan became a cinematic icon and Sonia Gandhi a political heavyweight, the Nehru-Gandhi and Bachchan families shared deep ties stemming from their days in Allahabad. Arriving from Italy in January 1968, a young Sonia found her first anchor in India through the Bachchans. Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi arranged for her to stay at the Bachchan residence at 13 Willingdon Crescent prior to her marriage to Rajiv Gandhi.
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In her book, Sonia remembers Teji Bachchan as a deeply maternal figure who taught her Indian customs, nursed her through illness, and even gifted her a puppy following the tragic loss of her firstborn. She describes feeling “relieved and reassured” by Teji’s warm embrace on the porch upon her arrival. Harivansh Rai Bachchan, whom she fondly refers to as ‘Uncle Bachchan’, helped her navigate the language barrier. He once advised her that in India, public perception mattered more than personal reality.
The Unspoken Estrangement
While the early chapters paint a picture of immense familial warmth, the memoir completely sidesteps the eventual disintegration of their ties. Rajiv Gandhi and Amitabh Bachchan shared a deep childhood friendship, with Rajiv standing by the actor during his near-fatal Coolie accident in 1982. Amitabh subsequently entered politics, winning the Allahabad Lok Sabha seat on a Congress ticket in 1984.
However, the political landscape shifted drastically with the eruption of the Bofors controversy in 1987. Although Amitabh denied any wrongdoing, the allegations strained the political environment, leading to his resignation from Parliament. The relationship reportedly cooled further following Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination in 1991, eventually culminating in a public distance. The memoir completely ignores this fallout, including the 2004 public exchange between Rahul Gandhi and Jaya Bachchan, who had by then aligned with the Samajwadi Party.
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Amitabh Sidelined, Jaya Excluded
Perhaps the most glaring editorial choice in Belonging is the minimal space given to the younger Bachchans. Despite his profound, decades-long friendship with Rajiv Gandhi, Amitabh Bachchan’s name appears only three times throughout the entire book. His wife, actor and politician Jaya Bachchan, finds no mention at all. Sonia Gandhi’s recollections remain strictly confined to the hospitality of his parents, choosing to leave the subsequent chapters of political friction and personal distance firmly in the past.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: abplive.com
