’I didn’t know how big the Pulitzer Award was’

Chandana Mukherjee, New Delhi
Mother to: Siddharth Mukherjee,
Pulitzer prize winner and author of The Emperor of All Maladies

Chandana Mukherjee looks stunning at 68. She's the mother of Siddharth Mukherjee, an Indian-born American doctor and non-fiction writer whose 2010 book, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, won the Pulitzer prize for general notification. It's late evening when we meet her. She is sitting in a corner of her living room listening to some music, with a book on her lap. The house exudes a warmth, antique mirrors, chests and drawers fill the sitting room, where a large shelf lined with books and pictures speak of years well spent.
She's ready, she says, to talk about her life and journey.

Born and brought up at her Daryaganj home in old Delhi, Chandana grew up with four siblings, including a twin sister. The two of them, she says, have a deep association with each other, and an almost telepathic bond.

Having graduated from Lady Sri Ram College, Chandana became fond of music and dance, and remembers her childhood as a simple one. "I am an ordinary person. My son is a star. More than being a proud mother, I think I am a fan," she smiles.

A middle-class upbringing meant a happy existence that wasn't mired by unnecessary luxuries. "I wished everything good should come to me. But we didn't have too much freedom to decide what our dreams would be, or even to fall in love."

Married at 21, Chandana had no idea of the sort of life that stood before her. But her wish was fulfilled because, she says, she fell in love with the man she married. "And it's been smooth ever since. Touchwood!"
Chandana strikes a balance between playing doting mother and being an admirer of what she calls "a great mind".

"When he was to receive the Pulitzer this year, I didn't know it was such a big award. In fact, I wasn't happy about his decision to write a book on cancer. But when I read the manuscript, it moved me. I admire Siddhartha more for his creative leaning. He is so many things ufffd painter, singer, writer and a person with a loving heart."

Life after the award, even with news channel journalists thronging the house, isn't all that different. Her large group of friends keep her busy, as she spends her free moments watching films or shopping. "Mornings are reserved for meditation and yoga. Not much has changed."