Born at Delhi on 16 March 1928, Banerji was the son of N V Banerji, professor of philosophy at Delhi University, and his maternal great uncle, W C Bonnerjee was one of the founders of the Indian National Congress in 1886. He was educated at Raisina Bengali High School, New Delhi and St Xavier's College, Calcutta: his medical education was at Carmichael, later R G Kar Medical College, Calcutta, where his influential teachers were Professor L M Banerjee FRCS (q.v. '*Lives*' 1965-1973) and Professor B C Roy FRCS (q.v. '*Lives*' 1952-1964). Before coming to Britain to study for the Fellowship he worked as a trainee surgeon at the Irwin Hospital, New Delhi, with S K Sen FRCS (q.v. '*Lives*' 1974-82); in Britain he worked at the Brook General Hospital and at hospitals in Coventry, Leicester, Sheffield and Leeds with J A Rhind and David Aiken. On returning to India he practised as a general surgeon in New Delhi 1962-1972 and then in Port Pirie, South Australia 1972-1987; in the latter year he retired from performing major surgery though he continued to practise medicine. A keen sportsman, he represented his school and medical college at hockey and later took up golf, tennis and swimming; he was a keen photographer and enjoyed travelling. In October 1958 he married Margaret Ellen Spencer Jones of Doncaster, Yorkshire. Banerji died on 1 July 1994 in Port Pirie, leaving a son and a daughter, Mrs Joyoti Bradshaw, to whom we are indebted for much information.