India is my inspiration: Anita Desai

One of India's most prolific writers, novelist Anita Desai proves to be a "Global Connection" herself.

The truth is that wherever I am, I am Indian, and wherever
I go, I carry India with me. We are inseparable, joined at birth.

Born in Mussoorie, India, the novelist, short-story writer and children's author is the daughter of a Bengali father and German mother. (She is the mother of Kiran Desai, who also is an award-winning author.)

With a career spanning four decades, Desai has written 14 novels and received numerous literary accolades. She has been a finalist for Britain's prestigious Booker Prize three times.

Her novels include Clear Light of Day (1980); In Custody, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1984 and made into a film; Baumgartner's Bombay (1987); Fasting, Feasting (1999); and The Zigzag Way (2004).

Educated at Delhi University, Desai now lives in the United States and is an Emeritus Professor of Writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The acclaimed author talks to CNN about about the inspirations she draws from her homeland.

Full report here CNN