'When I First Met Him...': Sonia Gandhi Recalls Falling In Love With Rajiv Gandhi At This Greek Restaurant In Cambridge

· Free Press Journal

A chance meeting over a meal at a small Greek restaurant in Cambridge, England, became the beginning of a love story that would eventually lead Sonia Gandhi to marry Rajiv Gandhi, who later became India's prime minister. Decades after their first encounter, Sonia is looking back at the early days of their romance, sharing intimate memories of the man who captured her heart.

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The Congress leader revisits their first meeting in a preview of her upcoming memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, scheduled for release on November 10, 2026. Among the memories she recounts is the meeting at the Varsity Restaurant in 1965, a former Cambridge eatery where the two first crossed paths. The restaurant, which once attracted students from India and across Europe, is now permanently closed.

How Sonia Gandhi Met Rajiv Gandhi At Cambridge's Varsity Restaurant

Sonia's recollections take viewers back to her student days in England, when she was looking for places that served food more familiar to her palate, particularly Italian cuisine. Dining options were limited at the time, and the Varsity Restaurant became a popular meeting point for international students.

“Food in England was awful. In those days, you didn't have so many restaurants,” she says in the video.

However, her visit to the Greek restaurant would become memorable for a reason far more personal than the food. A mutual friend introduced Sonia to Rajiv, bringing together two young students who could not have known that their encounter would eventually lead to marriage.

'I Felt Almost Immediately': Sonia Gandhi On Falling For Rajiv

Recalling her first impression of Rajiv, Sonia describes an immediate connection that went beyond physical attraction. She says she sensed early on that he was someone she wanted to share her life with.

“When I first met him, I felt almost immediately that he was someone whom I would really love to be with. And of course, I learnt that it was the same for him,” she recalls.

Sonia also remembers Rajiv's gentle demeanour as one of the qualities that first drew her towards him. While she acknowledges that he was good-looking, it was his personality that left a lasting impression.

“He was a very gentle looking person. Of course, he was very good-looking, but that gentleness came through. So that was something that really touched me and struck me,” she says.

Her account offers a personal glimpse into the beginnings of a relationship that would later unfold under the public gaze of Indian politics.

From Student Friendship To Marriage In 1968

Their romance developed gradually, beginning with friendship and shared experiences during their time in Cambridge. Sonia recalls meeting Rajiv at social gatherings, attending parties and going sightseeing together. She also remembers a Valentine's Day party attended by other students, capturing the ordinary moments that helped bring them closer.

Archival photographs featured in the memoir preview accompany her recollections, taking viewers back to a time when their lives were far removed from the political responsibilities and public attention that lay ahead.

Sonia and Rajiv married in 1968. Rajiv later entered politics and became India's prime minister in 1984, serving until 1989. His life was cut short on May 21, 1991, when he was assassinated during an election campaign in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu.

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