My parents

Amitabha and Maitreyi Banerjee, painters of repute, instilled in me an appreciation of all things beautiful.

I would see my mother painting on a canvas with bright warm colours, as she would sometimes hum few phrases of a Khayal, or some combined notes in a great speed, which I later knew to be the ‘taans’ of north Indian Classical music.

Sometimes in the background, the tape recorder would play Khayals and Thumris of our master vocalists.