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‘He thinks about people’
cent true?’ Boomba replied, ‘What do you mean by 100 Siddhartha percent true?! Why would I mind too.” Mukherjee’s parents call up otherwise?’” “After Harvard, he went to Chandana and “After the call we were wide the Massachusetts General Sibeswar at their awake,” she says. “We came Hospital in Boston (with a felhome in Delhi out to the living room and my lowship in oncology). He was husband took out the Britaunhappy in the beginning and nnica Encyclopedia (which he would get very stressed,” she had once gifted his son) and recalls. “He was too soft for it. he read all about the Pulitzer.” He used to discuss his patients “We were very excited. In with me — the children in the the morning I went for my oncology department, how he yoga class as usual. Then the would deal with them. The phone started ringing. Contichildren were very fond of him, nuously. Finally, I told my as he would sketch, sing and yoga teacher that I had to dance for them to cheer them leave. I visited the temple and up. I saw that he was not came home. happy, and I asked him to do DOMINIC XAVIER “I saw many cars and peosomething else. He gradually ple outside the house. I thought there was started loving the subject, the mystery of it.” some function in the school nearby and peo‘I didn’t like the idea of a book on cancer’ ple had parked outside our house. I was It was probably Dr Mukherjee’s initial battle annoyed with the driver for letting them do with treating the disease that pushed him to find Family members on Siddhartha Mukherjee so. As soon as I entered, my maid said, ‘Go a therapeutic release in writing about it. change first, some people are waiting for you.’ “Siddhartha told us about the book in 2004, As a child, what was outstanding about Siddhartha — he I asked her where my husband was. She said just after his marriage,” says his mother. “I asked will always be Boomba to us — was that he had an excellent he had not come back from his morning him what he was writing on. When he said it was ready wit and a great sense of humor. He could see the lighter stroll. When I came in, I saw some eight peoon cancer, I didn’t like the idea. I thought it side of life, no matter how challenging the situation, whether ple with cameras sitting. I was stunned. I didwouldn’t be fascinating to he was facing a tough exam n’t know why they wanted to talk to me. I read.” or anything which preshadn’t done anything. That was the first day. “The book was finished in sures someone at that age. “For days after that the phone never 2010,” she says. “His younAnd, of course, combined stopped ringing. Three phones rang conger daughter was born Janwith that, he had an outstantly. For the next two days we couldn’t uary 23 that year and we standing IQ, dedication even eat our meals on time. We had lunch were there then. I started and the willingness to sucaround 4.30 pm! I fell sick because of all that reading the manuscript. I ceed. His book gives a lot of — repeating the same thing again and again was familiar with the stohope to me and humanity in front of the lights and the cameras. I can’t ries, as he had discussed at large that he is waging a forget the excitement of those days.” some (of them) with me. I fierce war and there seems ‘Siddhartha is very attached to the family’ used to read and weep and a little chance that we No matter how driven he is, family was and wonder what would happen might emerge winners. remains at the core of Dr Mukherjee’s life. to the family.” Deepak, left, and Sameer Banerjee This feeling was even more “Siddhartha is a homebody. He is very “We were there when the significant than him winattached to the family,” says his mother. book launched in November,” she adds. ning the award. The prize was incidental; it came as a shad“During the Jaipur Literary Festival this year “Incidentally, my daughter’s (Ranu Bhattaow of the quality that he showed. he was here (in India) for seven days. He charyya) book on teaching, Castle in the — Deepak Banerjee, maternal uncle spent only three days in Delhi, but he wanted Classroom, also launched the same day.” to meet everybody. He told me, ‘I can’t go to ‘What Pulitzer?’ We always thought he would do something great. In fact, meet everybody; you call them home.’ Some While Dr Mukherjee’s parents always had the we expected him to win the Nobel Prize. I wish someday he 80 people turned up and he enjoyed that. He faith that he would one day make India proud, comes back to India and does something here. Doing someis also a very caring father. No matter how their reaction to his winning the Pulitzer Prize thing in India has always been on his mind. busy he is, he makes time for best underlines why he remains modest. — Sameer Banerjee, maternal uncle the family.” “We had been tracking the success of the book, “My daughter-in-law Sarah but I totally didn’t expect anything like the Siddhartha was always a cut above the rest. We (the MacArthur Prize-winning Pulitzer,” says his mother. “Generally he never had the same classical music guru. He would say, sculptor Sarah Sze) is also a calls after 12 am. That day, April 19, we were ‘Look at Siddhartha, he remembers all the taans.’ homebody,” she adds. “We get sleeping when the telephone rang at 1 am. I said, And I would say, ‘Please don’t compare us.’ I along very well. She is a ‘What happened? Why are you ringing at this would be struggling with all the notes, whereas he Chinese American and our hour?’ I asked if everything was all right and he had everything on his fingertips. We knew that he values are similar. Unlike my said yes. He asked if we were sleeping, and I said, was special. I had thought his book would be very son, she enjoys food. She likes of course, we were. Then he said, ‘Ma, I have got difficult to read. My mother (who was very close to prawns, Shorshe Baata, the Pulitzer.’ I was stunned. I said, ‘What Dr Mukherjee) and maternal aunt fought cancer. Khichuri. She likes my cookPulitzer?’ I knew the book was on the top 10 list But when I read it I realized that people can ing. She understands Bengali. and all that, but I didn’t expect this. I had never relate to it. Had my parents been here today, they She also speaks a little bit of it. thought about it. Booker, yes, but not the Pulitzer. would have been on cloud nine. I talk to her in Bengali and she I woke up his father and said, ‘Boomba is saying — Joyeeta Mukherjee, first cousin Joyeeta Mukherjee is picking it up.” he won the Pulitzer.’ And he asked, ‘Is it 100 per-
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