Sara Banerji | |
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| Born | Sara Mostyn (1932-06-06)6 June 1932 (age 92) Stoke Poges,Buckinghamshire, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation(s) | Author, artist, sculptor |
| Known for | Writing |
| Spouse | Ranjit Banerji (1956–2022) |
| Children | Bijoya Chisholm Juthika Slaughter Sabita Banerji |
| Parent(s) | Anita Mostyn Sir Basil Mostyn |
| Relatives | Henry Fielding |
Sara Banerji (néeMostyn) (born 6 June 1932) is a British author, artist and sculptor. She was born in England, but lived inSouthern Rhodesia and then in India for many years. She now lives inOxford with her family.
Banerji was born in 1932, one of the children of Anita Mostyn, a novelist who wrote in the 1950s under the pen name Anne Mary Fielding, and Sir Basil Mostyn, the13th Baronet of Mostyn, inStoke Poges,Buckinghamshire, in England. One of her ancestors isHenry Fielding.
In 1939, when Banerji was seven,World War II began, and she wasevacuated to various large and old country mansions. Her father, Basil Mostyn, fought in the war.
After the war was over, Banerji emigrated with her family toSouthern Rhodesia, where her father grew tobacco. The family lived in a single mudrondavel with no electricity or running water.
Banerji later travelled aroundEurope. She worked as anau pair and also attended art school inAustria. She has worked as an artist, and held exhibitions of her oil paintings in India. She taught riding whilst in India, and has been a jockey. She is a sculptor, and has been a waitress.
Banerji worked in a coffee house in Oxford, where she met her future husband, Ranjit Banerji, who was an undergraduate from India. He was a customer in the coffee house. They married and moved to India, where they lived for 17 years. Banerji attempted to run a dairy farm, but was defeated by seasons of heavy rain.
The Banerji family returned to England in 1973. Ranjit and Sara had£5 each, giving the family a total of £10. Banerji borrowed money, bought some ponies atauction and gave riding lessons. A while later, she started a gardening business inSussex.
Banerji now lives inOxford, where she has taught writing in theOxford University Department for Continuing Education. She and her husband, who died in 2022,[1] practisedmeditation andyogic flying every day. They have three daughters and five grandchildren. Banerji has frequently held exhibitions of her work.
BANERJI Ranjit. Passed away peacefully at home on 29th September, surrounded by his wife and daughters after a long illness. Tea planter, dairy farmer, economist, privatisation consultant, philosopher and scholar
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