After obtaining an undergraduate degree in botany from the University of Calcutta in 1983, he went on to earn a postgraduate degree in the same university in 1985, specializing in cytogenetics.[6]
He is the son of the Indian director and film-maker, Tapan Sinha.[9] and filmmaker / actress / singer Arundhati Devi. In 2009, he was chosen as a TED Fellow.