Rahul Gandhi, the heir to the powerful Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, enjoys a massive following in India. This popularity is a consequence of a long Nehruvian political struggle, involvement in the Indian National Congress, and a whole lot of tragedies. However, many confuse it with the Mahatma Gandhi family.
The truth is, Rahul or any other member of the Nehru-Gandhi family does not share a lineage with Mahatma. So, where does the Gandhi surname come from? Here is a quick rundown of the Rahul Gandhi family tree to educate you on the dynasty’s ancestry.
In this article
Meet Rahul Gandhi’s Family Tree
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Rahul Gandhi, the grandson of Indira Gandhi and great-grandson of Jawaharlal Nehru, is an Indian politician, statesman, and member of the Indian Congress. He currently sits in opposition within the Lok Sabha. Like others in the family, Rahul studied at elite schools like Harvard and Cambridge, and is a big name in Indian politics. Let’s learn more about his family now.
Great Grandfather - Jawaharlal Nehru
A central figure in India during partition and the first PM of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was Rahul Gandhi’s great-grandfather. His parents, Swarup Rani and Motilal Nehru, were Brahman Kashmiri Pandits. Having lived a privileged life, Nehru received private education and later attended Trinity College, Oxford.
In the 1930s and 40s, Jawaharlal served a central role in the Indian nationalist movement, and became the first Prime Minister of India after 1947 independence. Under Nehru, Congress was mostly dominant and won numerous elections. In 1964, he died of a heart attack in his office.
Grandmother - Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi, daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru and grandmother to Rahil Gandhi, was a stateswoman and politician. She had a lonely and unpleasant childhood with a father who was often away for political commitments and a mother who was frequently ill.
Despite this, she was active in politics and served as the PM of India from 1966 to 1977 and 1980 till her execution in 1984. To date, Indira remains the only female Indian PM. On October 31, 1984, two Sikh nationalists, her bodyguards, assassinated her at the Golden Temple.
Grandfather - Feroz Gandhi
Feroz Jahangir Gandhi, grandfather to Rahul Gandhi, was a freedom fighter, political personality, and journalist. He went to LSE for a BSc degree, but left his studies to join a freedom movement. This is when he built a connection with the Nehru family. In 1942, he married Indira. Feroz took his last breaths in Delhi, where he died of an intense second heart attack, and was cremated at the Parsi cemetery in his hometown, Allahabad.
Father - Rajiv Gandhi
Born to Indira and Feroz Gandhi in 1991, Rajiv Gandhi was Rahul Gandhi’s father, a statesman and a pilot. Initially, he went to Cambridge and returned to India in 1966, from where he started his journey to become a professional pilot for Indian Airlines. However, fate had other plans.
On October 31, 1984, two Sikh bodyguards assassinated Indira Gandhi due to rising separatist Sikh sentiments across the country. Consequently, Rajiv had to become the next and youngest PM of India at the age of 40. In 1991, Rajiv lost his life in a suicide bombing in Tamil Nadu led by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a Sri Lankan Tamil separatist group.
Mother - Soniya Gandhi
In 1968, Rajiv married Soniya Maino from an Italian Roman Catholic Family. Soniya, the mother of Rahul Gandhi, met Rajiv at Cambridge. After marriage, Soniya took the surname Gandhi and settled in India to live a private life. However, following her husband’s death, she was called by the Congress leaders to replace Rajiv. Initially hesitant, she finally joined Congress in 1998 and remained the longest-serving president of the Indian National Congress till 2022.
Sister - Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
Priyanka Vadra, the younger of Rajiv and Soniya Gandhi, was born on January 12, 1972, in Delhi. She, too, was homeschooled, like her brother, due to the security situation at the time. Priyanka later attended the Jesus and Mary College, New Delhi. In 2024, she assumed membership in the Lok Sabha.
Brother-in-Law - Robert Vadra
Priyanka Gandhi married Robert Vadra in 1997 and took the surname Vadra. Originally from Sialkot in present-day Pakistan, Robert is a businessman of Punjabi descent. Together, the couple has two children, a daughter, Miraya Vadra, and a son, Raihan Vadra. The 22-year-old Miraya is studying at Welham Girls’ College in Dehradun, while Raihan leads a private life.
Uncle - Sanjay Gandhi
Rajiv’s younger brother and Rahul’s uncle, Sanjay Gandhi, was born in 1946 in New Delhi. Unlike Rajiv, he was enthusiastic about politics and was expected to succeed Indira Gandhi as the PM of India. However, he lost his life in 1980 during a plane crash while he was attempting an aerobatic manoeuvre.
In 1974, Sanjay married Maneka Anand, and the couple had their son, Varun, in 1980. Maneka is an Indian politician from the Bharatiya Janata Party and an animal rights activist.
Cousin Brother - Varun Gandhi
Feroz Varun Gandhi, born in Delhi to Sanjay and Maneka Gandhi, is an Indian Politician from the Bharatiya Janata Party. Varun was three years old when his father died. In 2011, Varun Gandhi married Yamini Roy, and the couple had two daughters, Aadya Priyadarshini and Anasuya Priyadarshini.
How to Make a Similar Rahul Gandhi Family Tree using EdrawMax?
A family tree is an excellent way to visualize relationships within generations. However, making one needs resources, especially an advanced drawing canvas like EdrawMax. It features numerous resizable symbols and design elements to help you replicate a similar Rahul Gandhi family tree. Let’s see how it goes.
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Step 01Open Blank Canvas
Download and install EdrawMax desktop and log in to your Wondershare account. Alternatively, try its online version.
Once on the dashboard, visit the Home button and click Organizational Chart.
Choose Family Tree from the menu and select a blank drawing canvas from the Local Templates section.
Tip: You can select any other format from the local templates that best suits your diagram description.
Step 02Arrange the Profiles
The first step to building a well-organized family tree is the structure, especially the profiles. This will determine how your tree looks in the end. Here is how you can plot them on the canvas.
- Go to the Symbol Library from the left side of the canvas.
- Select your desired profile shape under the Family Tree section and drop it onto the canvas.
- Resize it by dragging the cursor on the canvas.
- Repeat this step for all members of the family tree.
Step 03Build Connections
Now, proceed to build connections between these profiles. For this,
- Select any shape and locate its four connection points.
- Drag these connection points and link them to the other.
- Change the connector style, color, thickness, direction, and more from the on-screen menu.
- Repeat this step for all relationships in the family tree.
Step 04Label Profiles
The structure should be looking good now. So, proceed further and add descriptions for these family members.
- Double-click just below the profiles on the canvas and start typing.
- Limit your descriptions. A name, date, and relationship are more than enough.
- You can modify the font details (color, style, size, etc.) from the on-screen prompt.
Step 05Add Pictures to Your Family Tree
Pictures are an excellent way to make your family trees stand out. These help your audience better register the members and their relationship. For this,
- Go to the Insert tab and click Pictures.
- Browse your desired image from the device.
- EdrawMax lets you modify the pictures, however you like.
- Crop to shape: Choose the shape of your frame (circle, square, etc.).
- Adjust: Decide the transparency, contrast, and brightness of your image.
- Frame: Modify the color, thickness, and border of your frame.
Step 06Modify the Design
We’re almost there, hang on a bit. All you need to do is a few final design touches, and you are done.
- Locate the Design tab at the top.
- Change the color scheme, background image, orientation, and theme of your family tree diagram accordingly.
- Alternatively, visit the Image libraries from the left side of the canvas and use any picture as the background of your diagram.
- You can adjust its transparency so that the elements on the front are visible.
Step 07Download and Share
Finally, it’s time to download your family tree.
- Click the Export icon from the quick-access toolbar and choose your desired format.
- MS Office (Visio, PPT, Word, Excel).
- Graphics (PNG, JPG, JPEG, etc.).
- PDF for documentation.
- Or, click Share, add emails, and edit permission to who can access, view, edit, and comment on your diagram.
Wrapping Up!
Here it is - the Rahu Gandhi family tree. It carefully articulates the hierarchy of the Nehru-Gandhi family in an appealing manner. You can design the same for your family using EdrawMax. Head over to its template community, find a suitable family tree example, and start editing.
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