Jab They Met: Sanjay and Maneka Gandhi

New Delhi: Like any other love saga in the Nehru-Gandhi family, this one too started with love at first sight. Maneka and Sanjay met each other in 1973 at a cocktail party thrown by Manaka's uncle Major-General Kapur to celebrate the forthcoming marriage of his son Veenu Kapur.Sanjay was present at the party as he was a school time friend of Veenu. In those days, Sanjay was struggling to establish a career in automobile industry. Maneka was in her teens and was taking up modeling assignments. She was beautiful and attractive. Her gorgeous looks had won her a beauty contest at the college level and she had modeled for a firm of towel manufacturers, Bombay Dyeing.It was love at first sight. The meeting turned out to be a memorable one for both of them. They spent the evening talking. The two developed an instant liking and felt connected; they both agreed to meet again.While describing Sanjay and Maneka's love affair, Khushwant Singh in his book From Truth Love & a Little Malice writes that Sanjay was a shy man and he did not want to be seen in public. Therefore, he preferred meeting Maneka in her house or invited her to his home. After a few meetings, Sanjay invited Maneka to lunch with his mother, Indira Gandhi who was then the prime minister of India at that time. Of course, Maneka was anxious to have lunch with the lady who was leading the nation. As reported by a famous journalist, Maneka did not know what to say and it was Mrs. Gandhi who broke the ice and said "since Sanjay has not introduced us, you better tell me what your name is and what you do."The following year, Sanjay had to undergo a hernia surgery. It was during those days that their love bloomed and reached its peak. After her college, Maneka used to visit Sanjay at the All India Institute of Medical Sciencies and spend her afternoons with him. Maneka's mother was not happy with the strengthening bond between Sanjay and her daughter. She took this alliance as a bad match and sent Maneka to her grandmother's home in Bhopal. In July, 1974 Maneka returned from Bhopal and in the same month, a formal engagement ceremony took place at the Prime Minister's residence at 1, Safdarjang Road. Indira Gandhi gave her daughter-in-law a gold set and a Tanchoi saree.Two months later, the wedding took place.in typical Indian style at family friend Mohammed Yunus's house, who was a close associate of Indira Gandhi. Maneka was welcomed by her mother-in-law with all sorts of costly gifts. The list included 21 expensive sarees, two sets of gold jewellery, a lehnga and the most important and costliest of all, a khadi saree which was made by Jawaharlal Nehru while he was in jail.The couple was blessed with a son, Varun. But an ill-fated day struck the happy married life of Sanjay and Maneka. Sanjay Gandhi died in a plane crash on June 23, 1980 in Delhi. Like other love stories, this one too had all the ingredients to become a great one but unfortunately it did not have a happy ending. A year later, Maneka Gandhi left her mother-in-law's official Prime Minister's residence after a family quarrel that took place in the glare of media.Maneka Gandhi right now serves as a Member parliament from Aonla Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh.