Sonia Gandhi's Belonging: Why more political leaders should write memoirs

Sonia Gandhi’s memoir, Belonging, is the latest addition to a long list of books by Indian political leaders who have chosen to tell their own stories. The book has attracted attention for what it says about some of the consequential events of the last five decades, which Gandhi witnessed and lived through.

The chapters on her personal life are full of vivid details, offering a never-before-seen peek into her life. These details are moving and engrossing, covering her courtship, marriage, assimilation into the Indian way of life, and the deaths of her first child, her mother-in-law, and her husband, as well as her own battle with illness. They present readers with facts and, more importantly, a human, vulnerable side.

But it is also worth reading for another reason: India needs more such accounts of its political history.

There are several important books in this category. L.K. Advani’s My Country My Life traces the BJP’s rise, from the Ram Janmabhoomi movement to its years in power. Jaswant Singh’s A Call to Honour offers an account of his years in the Vajpayee government. I.K. Gujral’s Matters of Discretion provides insights into coalition politics and foreign policy.

Natwar Singh’s One Life Is Not Enough created a political stir by discussing the Congress leadership and the events surrounding the 2004 decision on who would become prime minister.

Natwar’s example shows why political memoirs matter. Sonia Gandhi has now offered her own account of that night. She writes that her children told her the decision had to be hers. Her version can be compared with Natwar Singh’s account, which presented the events differently. Neither account needs to be accepted as the final word; what matters is that readers now have different versions to examine.

A political memoir is also often an attempt by its author to explain and defend their actions as they may be worried how history remembers them. Nevertheless, they become part of historical documents which are often quoted in the years to come when future generations try to make sense of history.

As our country is vast and diverse, there is another reason to encourage more political memoirs given the sheer number of political players, leaders, ideologies and regional aspirations.

As has been seen in the past, usual congratulatory accounts and hagiographies are published when leaders are still politically active, as their words could impact their standing, particularly electorally. It is only during their less active years that they feel they must tell their story. Despite the advent of social media and declining reading habits, there is a longing for good books which pulsate with life and fresh knowledge.

Sonia’s account may inspire others to write their memoirs. To start with, Maneka Gandhi should present her life story, as do Nitish Kumar.

A memoir or an autobiography by Manmohan Singh would have been equally revealing, given that he worked with several prime ministers and dealt with multiple leaders. He too had kept his emotions and life personal. It is a loss that he did not write his version.

Going forward, there are several active leaders whose memoirs and interpretations of events would be keenly awaited. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah may lead the pack if they were to tell their stories, their vulnerabilities, their interactions with other personalities and their versions of key events. Modi has written on other subjects, but an account of his political journey and decisions in office would be valuable. Shah, one of the BJP's most influential political strategists, could offer insights into elections, alliances, party's expansion, and of course his life and interactions with fellow leaders.

In the Opposition space, leaders who would do readers a service if they were to tell their stories may include Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal and Priyanka Gandhi, to name a few.

A democracy benefits when its leaders leave behind accounts that can be examined and challenged. Sonia Gandhi has added her version to the record. It is time more political leaders did the same.