 His father was Satish Chandra Mukherjee, an early Indian officer in the Indian Civil Service, and his mother was Charulata Mukherjee, a social worker.His paternal grandfather, Nibaran Chandra Mukherjee, a Brahmo, was a pioneer in social and educational reforms in the country and a member of the Brahmo Samaj.His maternal grandfather, Prasanna Kumar Roy of the Indian Education Service, was the first Indian Principal of the Presidency College, Kolkata.