Children’s Day is observed every year on November 14 as a tribute to Jawaharlal Nehru, who was fondly called Chacha Nehru. To celebrate this day, a few celebrities from the industry have shared their favourite childhood memory and also their favourite song.
Ridhiema Tiwari
I grew up on a residential campus of a school in Valsad.My most favorite memory is walking up to school holding my brother’s hand. It was a 5-minute beautiful nature walk with huge playgrounds and a hostel for boys starting from senior kg till the 12th. We lived on campus in the same discipline like the hostel boys since my parents were teachers on campus. As a child I had early morning PT and yoga classes and lived in an extremely protective environment. Though I didn’t value it then, today when I look back, I miss the space, the parks, the goshala and I do miss the mess serving the best of Gujarati food.
As a child I cried at the drop of a hat and my teachers called me pani ki tank and I found Rote Rote Hasna seekho very intriguing even then. Ironically much later in life, it became the philosophy of my life.
Nupur Joshi
I was pampered and spoilt one. During summer vacations, the house used to be on fire with all my cousins, uncles and aunts to brighten up the madness. I used to record rhymes and songs on empty tapes, and in the process sometimes ended up spoiling a few original tapes from my father’s collections leading to, I think I should leave that for your imaginations, hehe.
My favorite song was Cun chun karti aayi chidiya.
Ranaksh Rana
I have childhood memories but I want to bring out that not all childhoods are rosy and happy. I grew up in a remote village in UP and I worked really hard to be where I am.
I do miss sitting by the canal, listening to the sound of water, running around in the farm, playing with the horses, getting kicked by the horses and then getting scolded for it. These are the real memories.
Harssh A Singh
My favorite childhood memory is spending those cool summer nights on the terrace. I grew up in Ludhiana, Punjab and in summers or just after monsoons in September we used to sleep on charpais on the terrace. Mom used to let me curl up next to her and we used to have those rotating fans that used to blow the white covers off you every time the fans rotated towards you. Me and my sister used to argue about who would sleep closer to the fans and so we used to take turns on the closer charpai. My grandmother would read out from comics like Champak and Amar Chitra Katha so Chacha Choudhary and other characters were our bedtime stories.
What I miss about my childhood is how we used to play every evening. In Model Town Ludhiana, evenings meant all the neighborhood kids would get together and play Stapu or Pithu or Uunch Maangi Neench, L-O-N-D-O-N London, Tippi Tippi Tap, Pakkadam Pakkadai, or simply jump on a bicycle and ride the streets. Mumbai is so restricted when it comes to kids playing. I miss the camaraderie and the uncomplicated games. I miss the fact that you could go to any one of my playmates’ houses and their moms would feed us – could be 5, could be 10 kids, all were fed. That’s a small town benefit I guess.
Harshali Zine
Every phase of childhood has fond memories. Like when my dad got me my 1st Barbie doll and a big toy house to play with. Then when my dad got me my 1st keyboard. Whenever I used to win a dancing and singing competition in school and inter school competitions, I would get a gift. The most beautiful and emotional would be the time I got to spend with my elder sister before we grew up and left home for further studies. Since both my parents were working, my sister was like my guardian, my teacher, my best friend. She knew all my secrets. She used to narrate beautiful stories at night to me and my younger brother and tell us about the universe and planets. She would never tell my mom about the complaints my class teachers would make about me. She always had my back. I always felt so protected in her presence. I think I miss that part of my childhood the most. Also, singing old classic duets with my dad. Ours was a musical family and in between singing and dancing we grew up. It feels like that was another lifetime. Although I cherish those memories, I’m happier now being independent on my own.
“Nanha munna rahi hoon, desh ka sipahi hoon ,bolo mere sang jai hind jai hind jai hind”, because I’m born on 15th August, India’s Independence day, so since childhood I always felt like a krantikari and coincidently my mother called me Munna. The song was custom made for me.