A black-and-white wedding video of the 1968 wedding of the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Maino (now Gandhi) has resurfaced on the Internet from the Associated Press archives. The video shows the couple signing official documents, exchanging wreaths and cutting the wedding cake among family members.
According to reports, Rajiv Gandhi was 23 years old when he married 21-year-old Sonia Maino. The wedding ceremony took place in the gardens of Indira Gandhi's residence at 1 Safdarjung Road in New Delhi, where the then-President Zakir Hussain, a freedom fighter-turned-diplomat, and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's younger sister, Vijaya.・Mr. Lakshmi Pandit, Mr. Sanjay Gandhi and others attended.
The wedding video, which was reshared by Instagram handle @indianhistoryposts, garnered several reactions from social media users.
Watch the video here:
In response, one user commented, “How beautifully and kindly she embraced Indian culture and India!!” Another user wrote, “This was a prime minister who had the courage to embrace his wife in front of the whole world instead of abandoning her like other leaders.”
A third user wrote, “I love Indira Gandhi's simple behavior like a normal Indian mom.” Another user responded: “A beautiful wedding of a beautiful couple who are unfazed by the many differences of their origins, including national culture, religion, and fear of acceptance.”
According to Rashid Kidwai's book on Sonia Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi wore a cream-colored silk Patiala ahakan and chooli daar with a pink Bharatpuri turban at his wedding, while Sonia wore a pale pink khadi sari. It is said that The day after her wedding, Indira Gandhi hosted a reception at the Ashok Hotel featuring Parsi, Kashmiri and Italian cuisine.
Rajiv Gandhi first met Sonia in Cambridge. Their children Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are currently senior Congress leaders. Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in 1991, after which PV Narasimha Rao was appointed Prime Minister of India.
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Date first uploaded: March 25, 2024 13:24 IST
