Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. Priyanka has followed the philosophy of St. Francis of Assisi in letter and in spirit, by choosing to meet one of those involved and sentenced in the assassination of her beloved father Rajiv Gandhi. She met Nalini at the Vellore Central Prison on March 19.

This is not the first time that the family of Rajiv Gandhi has tried with an element of courage to come to terms with the tragedy that shook not only the family, but the whole nation.

A Special Court awarded death sentence to Nalini in May 1991. She was thirty three at that time. Later, Sonia Gandhi intervened and pleaded for clemency for Nalini for the sake of the future of her five-year-old daughter. As a result, the death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. Of the five member kill squad, Nalini is the lone surviving member.

Priyanka has said that it was a very personal visit and completely on her own individual initiative. She wants that this sentiment respected. It was her way of coming to peace with the violence and loss that she has experienced. She did not believe in anger, hatred and violence and she refuses to allow these things to overpower her life. To err is human and to forgive, divine.

We are proud of you,Priyanka. You have proved that you have inherited the noble divine qualities of your great grand father, the great Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru.