Sonia Gandhi stepped in front of the fashion lens this week. At 79, the former Congress president took the cover of Harper's Bazaar India, marking an unprecedented crossing between Delhi's power corridors and high-fashion glossies. The shoot coincides directly with the November 10 rollout of her 544-page memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, published by HarperCollins India.
No commercial stylists entered the room. No sponsored runway couture touched the set.
Instead, the former party chief wore a blush-pink saree drawn straight from her personal wardrobe, framed by delicate gold borders edged in deep red. She anchored the drape with a contrasting red blouse, a pair of pearl studs, and her signature black hairband holding back shoulder-length grey hair. The visual language abandoned high-fashion excess in favor of crisp, time-tested handloom dignity.
Family handled every detail of the production. Her daughter, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, styled the complete look, curating pieces Gandhi has worn across decades of public life. Her grandson, Raihan Vadra, managed the camera, directing the lighting and framing his grandmother from behind the tripod.
The magazine outlined the multi-generational arc in its release statement:
The Woman Behind History… Some stories take a lifetime to be told. Others take generations to come full circle. Decades ago, Rajiv Gandhi photographed a young Sonia in Italy—a portrait that now graces the cover of her memoir, BELONGING, released earlier today. Today, their grandson Raihan turns his lens towards his grandmother for a very special #BazaarIndia cover.
| Detail | Production Specification |
|---|---|
| Subject | Sonia Gandhi (Age 79) |
| Publication | Harper's Bazaar India |
| Styling | Priyanka Gandhi Vadra |
| Photography | Raihan Vadra |
| Attire | Blush-pink saree, gold-and-red border, red blouse |
| Accessories | Pearl earrings, black hairband (Personal collection) |
The magazine cover mirrors an intimate portrait on the book jacket itself. Decades ago, Rajiv Gandhi pointed a manual camera at a young Sonia during their early courtship in Italy. That archival picture now fronts the 544-page volume. Raihan Vadra's shoot for the magazine completes that circle, placing the grandson behind the lens fifty years after the grandfather snapped the original frame.
The 544-page text published by HarperCollins India moves well past sartorial choices. In the book, Gandhi chronicles her arrival from Italy into the center of Indian political life, tracing four decades marked by personal grief and tectonic shifts in power.
The chapters lay bare her battle with cancer, the traumatic aftermath of Rajiv Gandhi's 1991 assassination, and her 2004 decision to decline the prime minister's chair after leading the United Progressive Alliance to an upset parliamentary victory. Copies of Belonging: A Journey of Love hit physical and digital bookstores nationwide starting this week.
| Book Title |
| Belonging: A Journey of Love |
| Publisher & Page Count | HarperCollins India; 544 Pages |
| Official Release Date | November 10 |