00:00HarperCollins is all set to publish Sonia's memoir after political war over Penguin publisher.
00:06HarperCollins is now in focus as HarperCollins India has decided to publish
00:11Belonging, A Journey of Love by Sonia Gandhi.
00:14The long-awaited memoir that will be published in India on the 10th of November 2026 is the date coming
00:21in.
00:21One of the most anticipated political memoirs of our time,
00:24Belonging is a dramatic and deeply personal story of love, identity, duty and belonging
00:30and offers a rare insider's view of India's journey is what HarperCollins has said.
00:37Rajdeep Sardisai joining us on the phone line.
00:40Rajdeep, the decision is confirmed. What more are you picking up?
00:43Well, this was in the making for a while ever since Penguin decided not to go ahead
00:48and publish the book of Sonia Gandhi.
00:51Apparently, there were particular chapters and mentions that Penguin had objected to
00:58and the relationship that was supposedly almost sealed got strained
01:02and Penguin pulled out about a month ago.
01:05Once Penguin pulled out, Harper, which had always been also pushing for the India rights for the book,
01:11decided to step in and I can now confirm that Harper is going to publish Sonia Gandhi's book
01:18on the 10th of November. It will be available.
01:21There will be a media embargo, we are told, till the 10th of November.
01:25So we won't know really what exactly Sonia Gandhi has said till the 10th of November.
01:31But Harper is the next biggest publisher after Penguin in India
01:36and they've seized the chance that Penguin seemingly chose not to take.
01:44All right, Rajdeep, many thanks for getting us those details.
01:50And that's what is coming in. Harper Collins has decided to publish that book,
01:55Belonging a Journey of Love by Sonia Gandhi.
01:57Rajdeep, if you continue to stay with us, we'd like to understand further
02:01of how this decision was turned around, especially Harper Collins now.
02:09Now, having to go ahead with this decision of publishing this book
02:17and the confirmation coming in of how it will be released on the 10th of November, 2026.
02:23The much-awaited memoir that has been in question will be published in India
02:28on the 10th of November, 2026.
02:30One of the most anticipated political memoirs of our time is what Harper Collins has said,
02:36saying that belonging is a dramatic and deeply personal story of love, identity, duty and belonging
02:41and offers a rare insider's view of India's journey.
02:49The controversy that had been playing around this particular book as Penguin,
02:54the publisher had pulled out just a month ago from this deal
02:59and a political war had broken out, especially over certain parts of what the book entailed.
03:06Harper Collins has decided to set, decided to publish Sonia Gandhi's memoir.
03:12After all that has transpired, Harper Collins has said that Harper Collins India
03:16will be publishing Belonging a Journey of Love by Sonia Gandhi,
03:20the long-awaited memoir that will be published in India on the 10th of November, 2026.
03:25One of the most anticipated political memoirs of our time.
03:29Belonging is a dramatic and deeply personal story of love, identity, duty and belonging
03:35and offers a rare insider's view of India's journey.
03:39That book that is now set to be out, 10th of November,
03:43is the date that has been locked upon this year itself.
03:47So, in about two months from now, or less than that,
03:52is when the book will be out for readers.
03:56Harper Collins India has decided to publish this book,
04:00Belonging a Journey of Love by Sonia Gandhi.
04:02As they clearly mentioned, it will be on sale starting 10th of November, 2026.
04:09The book that is now being published by Harper Collins,
04:13after the controversy that had snowballed with Penguin backing out
04:18over content that was deemed controversial
04:21and after the political war that had broken out,
04:25the book that is still very much coming out,
04:29the publisher has changed, the publishing house has changed,
04:32where it will no more be Penguin,
04:34but Harper Collins India that has now decided to publish that book,
04:38Belonging a Journey of Love by Sonia Gandhi,
04:41which will be on sale starting 10th November, 2026.
04:51We're trying to get further details of,
04:53and especially the sort of responses that are coming in,
04:56as for a while it did come across as how the book has been stalled,
05:02especially the release of this book,
05:05that may have to wait for a while,
05:07or what exactly will turn out eventually.
05:10But here, there is settlement on that.
05:13Now, instead of Penguin,
05:14it is Harper Collins that has decided to publish this book.
05:18The much-awaited, however controversial in parts,
05:22as had been deemed,
05:24the book by Sonia Gandhi,
05:25the book that is called Belonging a Journey of Love,
05:28penned by Sonia Gandhi,
05:30which will now be published by Harper Collins India,
05:33and is set for release,
05:36will be on sale,
05:37will be on the shelf for buy on the 10th of November, 2026.
05:52As far as Sonia Gandhi's memoir is concerned,
05:56as the publisher has now been fixed,
05:58it is Harper Collins India.
06:00We'd seen all the controversies that have taken place,
06:03especially the political war that had broken out after Penguin.
06:06The publisher had pulled out,
06:08and this was just a month before
06:11the designated date of how the deal had been finalized.
06:15But after Penguin pulling out,
06:17Harper Collins has jumped on the opportunity,
06:21and Harper Collins India
06:24is set to publish this book,
06:25which will be on sale on the 10th of November, 2026.
06:29Rahul Gautam joining us on the phone line.
06:31Rahul, what more are you picking up from your sources
06:33in the Congress,
06:34how they are responding,
06:35especially given the back and forth
06:38that had happened between Penguin and Harper Collins
06:40going ahead with the publishing of this book?
06:43So finally, Harper Collins will now be publishing
06:45the memorials of Sonia Gandhi.
06:48It has been officially tweeted by the publisher.
06:50We all know that how there was an issue between the previous publisher
06:56that was Penguin House and Sonia Gandhi
06:58over this fact that there were certain portions
07:01that were demanded to be deleted,
07:03which were obviously, you know,
07:06the demand was not entertained.
07:08And in fact, the Congress Party has been saying
07:11that this is another attempt on the part of the Modi government
07:15to pressurize publishers to not publish
07:19the uncomfortable things about the Modi government,
07:22about Indochina, I think.
07:24And that's why, you know,
07:26and there was a statement also that was issued by Penguin,
07:30the publisher Penguin,
07:31saying that we are not insisting for any cuts.
07:35We are only demanding that all that goes into books
07:38should be checked.
07:39So clearly, it seems that, as the tweet itself says,
07:44that in November, in the month of November,
07:46the book will be available on the bookstore.
07:48Congress is saying that this would give an insight
07:52to the lives of Gandhi
07:53and will obviously also portray, you know,
07:57Sonia Gandhi in true light.
07:59And they are also saying that this will also take away
08:02the kind of sinister campaign that was unleashed
08:06against her ever since she entered into politics.
08:08And therefore, people would get to know
08:09the real Sonia Gandhi.
08:11So obviously, it seems that the matter is now resolved.
08:15And by the month of November,
08:17the book will be hitting the bookstores.
08:20Rahul, continue talking to us
08:22because the book will certainly be out.
08:25But with regards to all the responses,
08:28the back and forth,
08:29and especially the controversial parts
08:32as is being spoken about,
08:34if there is any insight into what exactly that is
08:38and what the readers await on the 10th of November.
08:43Well, we have seen in past as well
08:46that how the previous publisher was saying
08:50that we are only seeking fact-checking
08:53of all the content that the publisher
08:56or the author are trying to push.
08:59And they also put on record
09:01that so far they are not the authorized publisher
09:04of the book.
09:05They are only in the middle of the negotiations
09:07with the author.
09:08So it seems that that part has been taken care of.
09:12And we have seen in past also,
09:14at that point of time,
09:14when this controversy broke out,
09:16Congress was saying that
09:17while the parent publisher
09:19or the parent company
09:20is comfortable with the book,
09:22it is only the Indian section
09:25of Penguin Publisher
09:26which is trying to curb
09:28the freedom of expression
09:29and also trying to curtail
09:31all those things
09:32which Punya Gandhi
09:34has conveyed in her book.
09:36So it seems that
09:37the matter is resolved.
09:39Whatever the author was trying to publish
09:42or push is finally resolved.
09:44And that's why it has now been tweeted
09:45that it's Harper Collins
09:47which will be the official publisher
09:49of the book.
09:50and they've also put it on record
09:53that the book is slated to hit bookstores
09:56in the month of November
09:59and it seems that
10:00all those portions
10:01which we were discussing earlier
10:02seems to be going to be part of the book now.
10:05Clearly.
10:06And that means
10:06an unfiltered, unedited version
10:10as by Sonia Gandhi
10:11will be available
10:13from the 10th of November
10:15for the readers
10:16to actually read into
10:19every version of her story
10:22as told by her.
10:23I want to thank you Rahul
10:24for getting us those details.
10:26Harper Collins having confirmed
10:27that they are now publishing that book.
10:30Penguin had earlier said
10:31that they were only in talks.
10:33There was no confirmation
10:34with regards to Penguin
10:35being the official publishing house
10:38but while that deal did not go through
10:42and Penguin had also said
10:44that they were fact checking
10:45all that had been mentioned
10:46in that book.
10:47The political war of course
10:49that was out in the open
10:51for one and all to watch
10:52but settlement
10:54as Harper Collins
10:55is now the publishing house
10:56that will publish
10:58the book
11:00The Memoia
11:01by Sonia Gandhi
11:02the title of which
11:03is Belonging
11:04A Journey of Love.
11:09As Harper Collins mentions
11:11that the book
11:12will be out on sale
11:13on the 10th of November
11:142026
11:16that is exactly
11:18when the book
11:19can be purchased
11:21and while there is
11:22a lot of anticipation
11:23on what exactly
11:25the book entails
11:25one thing is for sure
11:27that this will be
11:28the unedited
11:29unfiltered version
11:30as put out
11:31by Sonia Gandhi.
