We always hear people talk about their childhoods or the childhood of others. They say the person was shy, always spent time with books, was very naughty, and all these things. When I look back at my life growing up in the seventies, I had nothing to do with books. I was always into movies.

I did read a lot of Amar Chitra Katha and all that, but no serious reading until I was probably fifteen or sixteen. That’s when I started reading, but even then it felt like a burden rather than relaxation. I seriously started reading only in my twenties — mid-twenties.

As a kid, cricket was obviously a big part of growing up in the eighties. Books, as I said, not much. Movies — probably like anyone born in the seventies — Amitabh Bachchan in Bollywood. Bachchan was what you always wanted to watch. My dad used to watch art house movies and I never liked them.

I grew up and then I went back and watched a lot of those movies — like Mandi and Party and all those — because I remembered my dad used to watch them and he would say it’s such a good movie. And I would say there are no fight scenes in it, there’s nothing that excites me, I don’t even understand what it is. Maybe that had to do with my lack of reading and lack of understanding. I was so much in that shallow world of action masala movies and not going in depth at all.

When I look back, I did not do a lot of daydreaming either. Of course there were times when you’re sitting in class and the teacher is teaching something and you have absolutely no attention. I had good grades, but I never considered myself a good student or someone who really loved to study. I went to school because I didn’t have another choice, and friends were there. At that time, if someone had told me you could make a decision other than going to school, I would have done something else. But not then — at that time we don’t have a choice. We have to go.

What did I escape to when I was really angry with other people, with my parents? What did I do? I know there are kids who learn music and their relaxation and escape is playing an instrument. There are kids who went to books. I loved movies, but I don’t think movies were something I could escape to. I cannot get angry with people and then sit on the TV because someone will say switch off the TV. There were no phones.

I think I went and played with other kids, or I went and slept. I think it’s important for all of us to have some escapes when life becomes very tough. Music is an important thing, even now. I don’t play any instrument. I listen to music, but I don’t play any instrument.

I made much more than what I thought I would when I was fourteen or fifteen.

Imagination is an interesting thing. As kids, we always imagine. If we read a story, we imagine as if we are one of the characters. When we watch a movie, I would go to sleep thinking that I was one of the characters, and how would that story be if I made some changes to it.

I always had this interest to be able to sing well. I was so bad at it. My dad put me with a teacher to learn singing, and I stopped after two classes because the moment I started singing the other kids started laughing. The sur, the tal — none of those things would come.

One of the things I used to imagine when I went to sleep back then was that I’m on the stage and I’m singing one of the songs. That was easy for me to imagine because I would keep the songs of Rafi and Kishore, and it was very easy when I went to sleep to think about me on the stage singing — knowing that I could never do it. That was probably some kind of imagination — thinking about myself as having a talent that I did not possess.

Interestingly, that is a habit I don’t have now. I don’t imagine that way today because I’m closer to reality. I have accepted the reality that I’m not going to be able to sing. But even today, to go to sleep, I want some music. I put a timer, play music for about thirty minutes, and then I go to sleep. That has been a habit even now. That is probably something I picked up when I was a kid.

Childhood is fun — at least I’m privileged enough to say childhood was fun. I know there are so many kids today who, when they grow up, will not look back at childhood and think it was fun. I think I was very privileged to have a childhood that, looking back today, I feel was good and fun, and I could relive it again. But that is a privilege.

You guys take care. I’ll see you all in another episode. My goal as part of this channel is to share some memories and thoughts. Maybe when you hear this, when you see this, when you listen to it, you might start thinking about how your childhood was. What were your escapes? What were the plays, books, imagination, movies? What did you daydream?

Let’s go back to our childhood and think about that. You guys take care. I’ll see you in the next episode. Thank you.