Sana Ganguly has a certain openness that complements her mother, Dona Ganguly’s candour. Together, they are a riot. Sana, a Loreto House and University College London (economics) alumnus, who now works for a UK-based tech and finance start-up, was recently home. t2 got the mother and daughter chatting with unguarded enthusiasm about life and living. Excerpts.

How has the mother-daughter relationship evolved over the years?

Sana: She’s always been a strict mother regarding studying, eating, and doing things the right way, but I think now she’s become more like a friend. I still get scolded, like, ‘You’re not eating’, or ‘You’re not sleeping’. But now, I think she somewhere feels I’ve grown up a little bit. So, I can speak to her like a friend. But I’m still that little girl. I think I’m a little less scared of her than I was before.

Dona, we can’t imagine anyone being scared of you!

Dona: She’s making it up.
Sana: I’m not making things up!
Dona: Nobody can be scared of me. I’m such a gentle person.
Sana: Everybody loves her, but everybody’s scared of her, you can ask anybody! (Laughs)

Sana, has the bond tightened ever since you moved to London?

Sana: Distance makes the heart grow fonder!

Dona, have you become a little more lenient with her?

Dona: Whatever she does, our generation could not even think of it, at least at my home.
Sana: Please give context to that statement because I don’t do anything! (Laughs)
Dona: Sana is a good kid, but I was also the only child in my family, and frankly, I got married very early, when I was 20 or 21. So maybe I didn’t have the scope of, you know, doing what they are doing. My mother wouldn’t let me stay over with my friends, and I was very busy with my dance. I couldn’t imagine going on a holiday without Sourav or my parents.

Times have changed...

Dona: Times have changed. So now with Sana going on holiday with her friends...
Sana: She’s also doing it... going on a holiday with her friends. She’s having sleepovers.

That’s great! How do you feel?

Dona: I feel very happy; it’s nice.

Do you think that your parents would have sent you to London at Sana’s age?

Dona: Not at all.

Sana, what did the independence you gained in university do for you?

Sana: I’m a completely different person. Now that I think about it, I feel that chhoto Sana was a complete brat. Although I had a very normal upbringing, I was a complete brat. Going there, you learn a lot about yourself.
Dona: You also start appreciating the help you get.
Sana: Since I’m earning now, I’ve also learned the value of money, which is a great thing. I have become more responsible and careful.
Dona: She’s changed. She’s matured a lot. She wouldn’t have matured so much if she had been in India. When you live alone in a foreign land and must do so much work by yourself, you learn a lot. She can handle different situations.

Dona, what was Sana like as a kid?

Dona: She was a quiet and disciplined kid, involved in a lot of activities, but now she tells me, ‘Ma, that was torture!’ (Laughs)
Sana: I didn’t say it was torture. I used to go to school in the morning, then tuition, then play a sport, and then attend tuition again. So, when I came back home, I used to get really tired. One day, I was in a mood and told ‘Ma, you tortured me when I was a child!’ (Laughs) It’s not that I really meant it! (Laughs)
Dona: One day, while watching tennis, she said, ‘Ma, you should have forced me to play tennis.’ We went to watch the Wimbledon finals in 2022 [Novak Djokovic defeated Nick Kyrgios 4–6, 6–3, 6–4, 7–6 (7–3)].

Sana, do you have time now for any extracurricular activity or does work take up a lot of your time?

Sana: It’s a lot of work, but it’s more recreational (extracurricular activities). In London, we are playing this new type of padel. Then there is pickleball. Then a little bit of tennis once in a while. It’s more recreational with friends, having fun.

Dona, we are sure neither Sourav nor you pressured Sana to pursue anything other than what she wanted to do.

Dona: No pressure. To pursue dance, singing or sports, the passion must come from within you. You really can’t force it on anyone. Sana knows the basics of dancing and can catch up whenever she wants. Maybe she needs to practise a little more. That professional approach will come when you are fully into it. I’m happy if she’s happy doing what she enjoys.

Sana, did you feel any pressure of being the daughter of two famous people?

Sana: No, absolutely not. They are very normal people. Obviously, they always encouraged me to do well in whatever I wanted to pursue, not just for the sake of it, but there was never any pressure. I could choose my subject and university.
Dona: I was a very hands-on mother.
Sana: From KG to X, she always asked, ‘What did you study?’ She knew all the answers! And being a Bengali mother, she would ask me the answers as soon as I left the exam hall, after writing for three hours! Then, in grades XI and XII, I decided to take subjects she knew nothing about, like economics and accounts! (Laughs)

Sana, when did you realise your parents were stars?

Sana: I’m actually realising it now.
Dona: Maybe she didn’t quite grasp it when she was a kid, but she knew that if her father attended the parent-teacher meeting, no one would complain about her! (Laughs)
Sana: But now I’m actually realising that they are actually very huge personalities. Sometimes when people talk to me about them, I’m like, ‘Really? Tai naki?’ I’m out and about, and I speak to a lot of people. They tell me a lot about my father, and these are people I look up to, or people I work for — they are like my bosses or like bosses of bosses.

Sana, how did you perceive stardom while growing up?

Dona: She’s basically very shy. Her job entails hosting many events.
Sana: I obviously knew my mom and dad were big figures, and I was always aware of it, but that’s why I said they are very normal parents at home, and I had a very normal upbringing. I grew up in a joint family as well. Maybe that’s why I am...

Normal...

Sana: Thank you for saying that. But maybe I am not apprehensive of the camera. I just don’t like it. It’s about my mom and my dad, but I don’t need exposure to the camera, stardom, or the paparazzi. I mean, obviously, it’s amazing to see what your parents have done. There has never been a conversation, but sometimes you realise: ‘Oh, he is actually famous!’

Sometimes when you’re walking with ma, and everyone is looking, I’m like, ‘Put your head down and just walk behind her.’ But there is nothing like, ‘Oh, you are a star kid.’ It’s very normal.

They are very normal people. If you see them in the house, they are very normal people. So, I couldn’t imagine them doing it any other way. They are actually so normal, sometimes it’s very weird.
Dona: Sana will often say you have to do things in a better way and will actually go out of her way to get things done, which we appreciate. She has grown up, and she has her own taste, but we are very casual. Sourav has no hassles.

Sana, does it affect you when your parents are criticised? Public figures have hard lives...

Sana: Yes, it does. I feel you are a public figure because people have made you a public figure. There are obviously perks to being a public figure, which you obviously enjoy, and it’s a good thing, but when you are a public figure, you have certain responsibilities. People look up to you. People are inspired by you. So, you can’t take that for granted either. I actually get very affected when they are criticised. I often ask them, ‘Why did you say that?’ So, then it’s quite a discussion.

Sana, what personality traits have you inherited from your parents?

Sana: I have been told that in terms of behaviour, I am quite like my father. I think I am very simple like my mom. I am a bit like my own, too. I am a bit of a mix of both. So, I can’t really pinpoint it. But my haab-bhab is a lot like my dad’s, though I think my behaviour is a bit like my mom’s. When she was young, I was told she was also shy.
Dona: She is a mixture of everybody, like a little bit of my mother, a little bit of Sourav’s father.

Sana, is dad more of a friend?

Sana: If I have to compare, my ma is more like a friend, and I’m actually scared of my dad. They don’t yell or scold me, but, you know, sometimes, very calmly, he’ll say, ‘Na, eta hobe na’. But then, I try to reason (laughs). I still have a curfew in Calcutta. As soon as it’s 11pm, he’ll start calling every 15 minutes.
Dona: We don’t want her to get into trouble.

Sana, are you enjoying your time at the tech and finance consultancy start-up?

Sana: It’s been fun. You learn a lot. My job involves a lot of travel. A lot of my colleagues are around my age. The hours are long, but it’s amazing. I got really lucky with this. They’re very flexible. We also have a Calcutta office, so I can come here to work. You do many different things. I’m working with clients, doing sales, doing these events, doing internal operations.

The first three months of my job required me to be my partners’ PA. I was right out of university. I was still learning and training. It was a great experience.

What is mother-daughter quality time like?

Dona: Watching a movie.
Sana: She is scrolling Instagram, and I am sitting beside her, looking at her face! (Laughs)
Dona: She’s also scrolling or chatting with a friend. My Instagram and Facebook hours are very limited.
Sana: I’ll actually show you her screen time!
Dona: When I am in London, I cook for her.
Sana: It’s always nice to have ma around. When she visits, I get to have her hathe’r khabar. That’s like the best food I can get. She used to make me this pasta, which I really liked. Or, a simple roll, with a wrap and some vegetables. She makes chicken curry, dal, posto. She cooks very well.
Dona: Sometimes we go for a walk or have a good meal with her friends. Sana is also a very good cook. My dals are not that great. So, I take tips from her. She makes amazing mixed dal.
Sana: I’ll survive. I can cook a lot of things and look up recipes in cookbooks. I have this thing about trying new places in London. I’ve got this from a friend. Then, suddenly ma has also picked up that habit. Obviously, long walks are a thing.

What do you talk about when you’re walking?

Sana: Life, work, I’m cribbing...
Dona: She’ll give me advice.
Sana: Gossip is always there. So, it’s a generic conversation. We go shopping or get coffee.

What are your messages for each other?

Dona: I want Sana to be happy, satisfied and enjoy her life. It doesn’t often pan out that way in life, but I wish her a peaceful life.
Sana: I wish her good health. I want her to have fun. I was her responsibility as a kid. Her life revolved around me. I used to get irritated, but now I realise it was full commitment. Now, when I can do things on my own, she needs to have fun. I am very happy when she is out with her friends. I want both ma and baba to go on holiday and enjoy their time. Live life after 50!