Maneka an haife ta ne a Delhi a cikin dangin Sikh. Mahaifinta ya kasance jami'in Sojan Indiya Lt. Col. Tarlochan Singh Anand kuma mahaifiyarta Amteshwar Anand. Ta tafi makarantar Lawrence kuma daga baya Kwalejin Mata ta Lady Shri Ram. Daga baya ta yi karatun Jamusanci a Jami'ar Jawaharlal Nehru, New Delhi. Ta fara haduwa da Sanjay Gandhi a wani liyafar hadaddiyar giyar da babban kawun Maneka-Janar Kapur ya shirya don murnar auren dansa Veenu Kapur a shekara ta 1973. Maneka daga karshe ya auri Sanjay, dan Firayim Minista Indira Gandhi shekara guda daga baya a ranar 23 ga Satumba 1974.
Makarantar Lawrence kuma daga baya Kwalejin Mata ta Lady Shri Ram