Sonia Gandhi's 'Belonging': How world leaders impressed or annoyed her
What's the story
Sonia Gandhi's memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love is a treasure trove of anecdotes from her encounters with world leaders. The book recounts her experiences while traveling with Prime Ministers Indira and Rajiv Gandhi. One of the most memorable moments was when Bill Clinton was invited to a reception hosted by then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Anecdotes revealed
Gandhi recalls Clinton's 'roving eye' at a reception
Gandhi writes about Clinton's "roving eye" at the reception, where she noticed him "surreptitiously sizing up the more striking women present" even as the Monica Lewinsky scandal had subsided a little by then.
She also recalls her encounter with Nikolas Sarkozy during his visit to India, describing his "arrogant manner."
In contrast, Gandhi fondly remembers a lighthearted interaction with Princess Diana. British royal spoke to Gandhi's mother in Italian and affectionately called her "Nonna."
Royal meeting
When Prince Edward asked Indian ministers, 'Who are you?'
Another interesting incident from Gandhi's memoir is when Prince Edward met Indian ministers during the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
After greeting Gandhi and then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he turned to other ministers and asked, "And you lot - who are you?"
This left everyone stunned until Pranab Mukherjee, then India's Finance Minister, introduced himself and his cabinet colleagues.
Gandhi recounts Mukherjee saying stiffly, "I am Pranab Mukherjee, the finance minister of India, and these are my cabinet colleagues."