A look into one of the most lesser-known facts about Pritish Nandy's personal life, which includes the father of the Indian space program, Vikram Sarabhai's daughter, Mallika Sarabhai.
Pritish Nandy was an Indian poet, film producer, and renowned media personality who passed away on January 8, 2025. The Padma Shri awardee died at the age of 73 due to a cardiac arrest. During his lifetime, he achieved a lot of success in different fields, but the reason why so many people felt devastated hearing the news of his demise was that he was also a renowned philanthropist.
Pritish Nandy founded India's largest animal protection NGO, People for Animals, which Maneka Gandhi runs. He also founded World Compassion Day. Apart from being extremely successful professionally, Pritish was also a complete family man. Despite indulging in various professions, he never let his work come in the way of his family time.
Talking about his personal life, Pritish Nandy is survived by his wife, Rina Nandy and three children, Rangita Nandy, Ishita Nandy, and Kushan Nandy. Talking more about his family, Pritish has two siblings, Ashis Nandy and Manish Nandy. Talking about the professions of Pritish Nandy's children, while Kushan Nandy is a filmmaker, Ishita Nandy is a film producer, and there's no information about Ishita's profession in the public domain. However, today, we will explore a lesser-known anecdote from Pritish Nandy's personal life.
According to several reports, in the '70s, Pritish Nandy reportedly dated Mallika Sarabhai. Yes! You guessed it right. We are talking about the daughter of India's father of the space program, Vikram Sarabhai. For the uninitiated, Mallika Sarabhai is a renowned Bharatanatyam dancer, activist, and actress. If the reports are to be believed, Pritish and Mallika became friends due to their shared love for poems. Their dating reports received much-needed fuel when Pritish's poetry record, Lonesong Street, was released in 1975.
The reason behind it was that Lonesong Street featured a cute picture of Pritish Nandy and Mallika Sarabhai. The picture created a stir back then, and it was enough for the rumour mills to start churning their dating rumours. Several gossipmongers speculated that most of the poems in Lonesong Street were dedicated to Mallika Sarabhai.
After many years, in an interview with a publication, Pritish Nandy admitted that he had dedicated Lonesong Street to Mallika Sarabhai. Labelling her as one of his 'closest friends', Pritish added that it was a tribute to the warmth of their friendship. He said:
"It was not a rumour. Lonesong Street was, yes, dedicated to Mallika. She was one of my closest friends. So close that Lonesong Street was a tribute to the warmth and beauty of the friendship we shared."
Pritish Nandy and Mallika Sarabhai's alleged relationship didn't go for too long, and soon, they were leading a happy married life with their respective partners. While Pritish married Rina Nandy, Mallika exchanged the wedding vows with Bipin Shah. However, Mallika and Bipin divorced in 1989, and she took care of their children, Revanta and Anahita.
What are your thoughts on this lesser-known anecdote from Pritish Nandy's personal life? Let us know.
Also Read: Pritish Nandy's Fight With Dev Anand: When Guide Actor Threatened Him With An Impolite Legal Action