Sonia Gandhi reveals details of first child's death in new memoir
The memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love describes the loss of a premature baby boy in January 1969.
Sonia Gandhi has shared the story of the loss of her first child in her new memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, according to Rediff. The book, published by HarperCollins, details the death of a premature baby boy who was born on January 18, 1969.
The baby was born two months before his due date through a normal delivery. Gandhi wrote that she and her husband, Rajiv Gandhi, fell in love with the infant, describing him as a small, well-formed boy with dark hair and slender fingers.
The child died about a day after birth. Gandhi noted that Rajiv and his brother, Sanjay Gandhi, buried the infant at Feroze Gandhi's farmhouse in Mehrauli.
The family faced difficulties regarding last rites because Hindu tradition does not permit the cremation of newborns. Gandhi wrote that she refused to have the baby released into a river, opting instead for burial at the Mehrauli farm under a pink bougainvillea bush.
Indira Gandhi, who was out of town at the time, cut short her trip to reach the hospital. Gandhi's memoir, which was released on Tuesday, also mentions that she became pregnant again in October 1969, giving birth to Rahul Gandhi on June 19, 1970.