The Hindu Lit for Life 2026 | Megha Majumdar on Oprah’s book club and her book list

I taped the conversations with Oprah [Winfrey] less than a month after having my second child, so I was nervous about being able to do it! But it turned out beautifully. Oprah was so warm, so attentive in her read of the book [A Guardian and A Thief] and so generous in her reflections.

I was very touched by her quoting sentences that she’d particularly loved, like a description of what it looks like when you rinse rice. It was one of the most exhilarating, meaningful, happy moments of my life. And, when A Guardian and A Thief was nominated for the National Book Award, she sent me an enormous bouquet of roses.

When I write, I begin with a question that won’t let go of me. For A Guardian and a Thief, the question was: ‘What do you do when your love for your child threatens to destroy your moral centre?’

For me, living well today means living with attention. I love to be fully present where I am. If I’m taking a walk in my neighbourhood and I notice the Christmas ornaments still on a door, or a bird that looks unfamiliar to me, or the colour gradation on a tree bark, that’s a good walk. Living with attention is the beginning of any kind of art.

I love reading books that teach me about a world that’s new to me. I read a memoir recently, called Hammer Head by Nina MacLaughlin, which follows a woman who quits her journalism job to become a carpenter. She goes from knowing nothing about making walls, making stairs, making tables, to learning all about them, and the reader learns so much too. 

One indulgence that makes my day better is a simple and good meal, like aloo paratha with bhindi.

As told to Sanjana Ganesh

Catch Megha Majumdar in conversation with Ranvir Shah at The Hindu Pavilion, Lady Andal School on January 17 at 4.45pm.