The Conscious Gandhi writes Shalini Sharma

Guess who’s the newest celebrity speaker in the circuit that well-heeled members of YPO’s and YEO’s are tripping over themselves to book for a cozy, private chat in areas where the press are carefully kept out? It’s Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. India’s most private person has decided to open up and share nuggets of her life at carefully curated events.

Partnering her through this meet and share experience is Priyanka’s best friend and college classmate Shefali Tsabary, award-winning author of The Conscious Parent, who has powered herself prominently as a children specialist on Oprah Winfrey’s show that explores relationships. Oprah has endorsed this Washington-based psychologist’s work as revolutionary and life changing.  

Becoming part of the speaker circuit is unusual for Priyanka who has consistently refused to give interviews, except one, and had made it clear to friends in the past that if they valued her as a friend they would not leak any information about her personal life to the press. So what could have wrought this change of mind? We reckon her family not being in power has freed some of the inhibitions and liberated her environment. Maybe also her brother taking over Congress party has freed her from constantly deflecting speculation about her imminent entry into full-time politics.  

What does she talk about? For starters, what’s it like to be born in India’s most famous family? She says it was a very normal upbringing till they were pulled out of school post her grandmother, Indira Gandhi’s assassination. The kids were then forced to be schooled at home. She talks about surviving the emotional scars of her father Rahul Gandhi’s assassination. We know from friends that she adored her father and that he was her idol. Incidentally, Priyanka got the news of her father’s death from Shefali, who had just landed in Chicago and heard about it from the American news channels there. It seems the PV Narasimha Rao led government, even hours after it happened, was too scared to confirm the Gandhi scion’s death to his family and the country. Shefali shared the terrible moment of having to call a best friend from across continents, to inform that her father was no more.  

Priyanka talked movingly about her inner journey post that terrible time in the Gandhi’s family life.  The dawning realisation that the only way she could overcome the ensuing anger and bitterness was to forgive her father’s killer. Which is why she flew to Chennai to meet Nalini Sriharan, the sole surviving member of the killing squad. It’s powerful words from one who has negotiated many earthshaking events in her family with dignity and silence.

Priyanka also shared how she and her husband strive to give their kids a normal life despite the burden of security issues on their frail shoulders. Incidentally, she does take questions from the audience provided they are not political in nature.

The mask has finally opened slightly to offer a glimpse into one of India’s most enigmatic people.

Society insider Shalini Sharma has two decades experience observing and reporting on the commerce and confessions of people who are generously described as celebrities.