Lila Majumdar: A rare human touch and humour. A Telegraph picture

A beloved Calcuttan steps into her 100th year on Monday. A full century after she was born in the famous Roy Chowdhury family of Garpar Road, in north Calcutta, Lila Majumdar will spend the special day at her Ballygunge Park Road home.

“She is not keeping well… We have not planned anything special,” said son Ranjan.

The darling of the young and the young at heart has always offered something special to her readers ever since the publication of her first story, Lakkhichhara, in Sandesh, the magazine launched by her uncle, Upendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury.

Till 1994, Majumdar was active in the magazine’s publication. She wrote numerous books, among which the most famous are her memoirs Aar Konokhane and Pakdandi, and her books for children, like Padipishir Barmibaksho, Holde Pakhir Palok and Shob Bhuture.

As with her illustrious relatives, cousin Sukumar Ray and nephew Satyajit, the appeal of her writing was not restricted to children alone. It was marked by a rare human touch and humour. “I really like her sense of humour and the way she writes about her own family, poking fun at them,” said author Nabanita Dev Sen.

The English topper from Calcutta University has won innumerable awards for her contribution to Bengali literature.

“We have shared a deep bond with her… But she is very ill now and prefers to be left alone,” said Sandip Ray, on the eve of her birthday.