Anita Rau Badami was born 1964 in the town of Rourkela in the eastern state of Orissa. Her father, who worked as a mechanical engineer and designed trains, was transferred every two or three years, so that she had a mobile childhood. She grew up in a household where English was the primary language spoken, and where her extended family was fond of telling stories about its own members. She has always loved writing, and sold her first short story for Rs. 75 when she was 18. She earned a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Madras, and studied journalism in Sophia College, Bombay. She worked as a copywriter for advertising agencies in Bombay, Bangalore and Madras, and wrote stories for children's magazines. She married in 1984, had a son in 1987, and moved to Calgary in 1991.

Her first book, Tamarind Mem, is a novel about the relationship between a mother, Saroja, and her daughter, Kamini, who have very different perceptions of a past they both shared. The title of the book, which is set in the railway colonies of India, refers to Saroja, who has been nicknamed after the sour fruit for her acid tongue. Her second book is The Hero's Walk.

Anita Rau Badami lives in Vancouver with her family.

Books by Anita Rau Badami

Tamarind Woman

by Anita Rau Badami

The Hero's Walk

by Anita Rau Badami