Booker Prize-winning author Kiran Desai has spoken warmly about her deep-rooted ties with Bengal, recalling how visits to Calcutta and the hills shaped her childhood experiences and memories.

Although Desai’s mother, celebrated author Anita Desai, did not grow up in Bengal, the family’s connections to the state remained strong. “My mother’s maiden name is Mazumdar,” Desai noted, highlighting the Bengali lineage on her maternal side. While her mother never lived in Bengal, several of her aunts and an uncle made their homes there, anchoring the family’s presence in the region.

Frequent visits to Calcutta to stay with relatives became a familiar part of her upbringing. The family also spent time in Darjeeling and Kalimpong, where her parents once owned a home. These landscapes, Desai explained, became intertwined with her sense of belonging and memory.

The writer also reflected on the role of language in preserving identity. While her extended family remained Bengali-speaking, Desai admitted with some regret that she never learned the language herself. Her mother, however, made deliberate efforts to stay connected by taking Bengali lessons even while living in Bombay.

Today, with relatives still based in Calcutta, Desai views Bengal as an enduring part of her personal and literary world, one that continues to resonate through her sense of heritage.