Stars revisit their childhood

Children's Day has just passed by, but celebs relive their childhood days and tell us how their childhood was.
'I remember playing cricket in Mumbai'
I still remember my time as kid playing cricket at the oval in Mumbai. As a child my worst childhood fear was sitting in the final exams at St. Mary's High School. Today, childhood has undergone a change.
Television and computers have, indeed, changed today's childhood drastically and, therefore, parental guidance is extremely necessary.
Zubin Mehta, Indian conductor of Western classical music
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'Watching Ram Lila during Diwali was the best time as a kid'
As a kid, I liked visiting Cherrapunji in the state of Meghalaya. It is the wettest place on earth. Watching Ram Leela on the streets around the Diwali. Going to the Jim Corbett National Park, which is a part of the larger Corbett Tiger Reserve in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand. I enjoyed watching the tigers in their natural habitat. Watching snake charmers put on a combat show on the streets between a cobra an mongoose. Today's children are being hardwired by technology with little or no connection to the earth or nature.
Deepak Chopra, Indian American author and public speaker
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'I was scared of Dada's questions'
I had grown quite tall. There was some talk of putting me in school. Ma spent her days with my baby sister, feeding and bathing her, massaging her with mustard oil and placing her in the sun. Baba had decided to call her Yasmin, to rhyme with Nasreen. When dusk fell, Dada sat with me in front of a hurricane lamp to help me with my lessons. I was fully capable of reading rhymes and poems, little stories for children, and Tagore for the Young.
I could read fluently, but when Dada began testing my knowledge, I got quite confused. "When was Rabindranath Tagore born?" Dada would ask. "Spell the word 'momentous'." Or, "Who wrote the poem Kajla Didi?" I was scared of Dada's questions. If my answer was wrong, he would either give me a slap or call the whole family to make fun of me. One day before we went to Ishwarganj, Dada had decided to act as my teacher and told me to spell the words out loud as I read from my book. At that time, although I could both spell and read, I was more interested in the pictures that accompanied the words. At Dada's command, I took out a book called So Many Pictures, So Many Words, and began reading: "T-u-r-m-e-r-i-c," "All right. That's the spelling. What's the word?" Dada asked. I looked at the picture. It looked like ginger to me. "Ginger," I replied. The next word was spelt 'h-i-l-s-a'. I looked at the picture and said confidently, "Fish". 61 My thirteen year old teacher was not happy with this. He called Ma, Grandma, aunt Runu, aunt Jhunu , uncle Hashem, uncle Tutu and whoever else was at home. When they were all seated around me, he said, "Listen everyone. See how she reads. Go on, read that first word again." I failed to understand why it was necessary to call everyone. There was nothing remarkable about reading from a book, I did it every day. Perhaps I had read so well that Dada wanted them all to applaud. That was why he had called them.
If I read well, aunt Runu would dance with me in her arms, Uncle Tutu would give me a sweet, and Grandma would give me a big guava from her tree. So I read as loudly and clearly as I could, moving my finger along each letter: "T-u-r-m-e-r-i-c." Then I looked at the picture and said, "Ginger". At once, everyone began roaring with laughter. Aunt Jhunu had to sit down, still laughing, her urna slipping from her shoulder. Aunt Runu was giggling helplessly. "Ha ha ha ha!" guffawed Dada and Uncle Tutu. Even Ma and Grandma couldn't stop laughing. I stared at their faces, a smile slowly appearing on my own, for laughter is infectious. It was as if a little play was enacted, in which I was the only actor on the stage. Everyone else was in the audience. Grandma was the first to speak. "That word you just spelt is turmeric," she said with a smile. "It may look like ginger in that picture, but that's the wrong word!" On that fateful night I was simply pretending to be asleep, as if traveling the land of dreams, playing there with fairies, winging on a high swing, no longer a part of this world, as if I did not know that Pakistani army men wearing heavy boots had entered the room and were walking about, a rifle dangling from every shoulder. These men could kill anyone, any time, casually and without a care, even when they were laughing and joking among themselves. If they thought anyone in the room was awake, they would either kill her instantly or take her by force to their camp, where they would whip her incessantly, torture her with a bayonet, and make sure all her bones were crushed.
So, little girl, never mind what those heavy boots do in your room. You must continue to sleep. Make sure your eyelids do not flutter, your limbs do not move, your fingers remain still. Your heart must not tremble for, if it does, you will be unable to hide the tremor from these men. When they lift the mosquito-net and look at you, lust and desire pouring from their eyes, they will shoot flames out of their mouths as they speak in a language you cannot understand. Keep absolutely still when they flash a light on your face, your chest, your thighs. They must see that you are not yet fully grown, you are not even an adolescent, and your breasts have not yet appeared! It was as if a snake was climbing over my body, slowly gliding up to my neck, coiling itself around my neck and holding it in an icy grip. I found it difficult to breathe. When the light fell on my face, my eyes nearly flew open, but I kept my eyelids still and did not allow them to flutter. Chhotku had placed a leg over mine, and I let it be. One of my arms was lying on Yasmin's stomach, and I let it be. My pillow was tucked behind my back, and I let be. The men wearing the heavy boots were standing by my bed, holding the mosquito net with one hand, a light in the other. Their eyes and tongues--dripping lust and fire--swept slowly over my hair-eyes-nose-ears-neck-chest-stomach and feet. A cold, slippery snake slid down the men's bodies, crawled all over me, sniffed my back, stomach, and genitals, then entered my flesh, my bones, and settled deep in the marrow.
Once upon a time, all schools must had a field. Now a days, children play on computers. Children are either become spoilt or they are forced to behave like adult. In many societies, girl children are wearing veils, they are forced to marry. Childhood is robbed by misogynistic cultures. In some Western countries, girls are reaching puberty much earlier. They do not get opportunity to enjoy their childhood.
Taslima Nasreen, writer
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'I feared looking after my younger brother'
Saturday nights where the whole family had a takeaway KFC dinner on a red and white plastic picnic mat whilst watching the A-Team this was a special treat, as mum never normally allowed us to watch TV whilst eating, nor to eat in the living room. Scoring a 50 not out away and helping to win a school cricket match (I remember it well because my Newbery bat broke apart on about 42 and I had to nervously borrow somebody else's to finish my innings). Spending time with all my many cousins as a big group. We still do and it is a party every time.
As a kid my worst childhood fear was not looking after my younger brother or sister properly. Once at an activity camp, my brother was lost at end of the day. I was distraught until he was found quite happily sitting with a different group of children waiting for the wrong bus. Today, iPads have replaced Gameboys, puzzles and board games. But fundamentally it is still the most precious and magical time in your life when you are full of love and curiosity and developing your own unique personality.
Rishi Sunak, Member of Parliament UK (son in law of Narayan Murthy)
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'I played all kinds of sports and climbed tress'
Playing cricket in the driveway with my brothers, Shane used to take control and he was the batsman, I would bowl and Grant would field. Quite often when I got Shane out he would the quickly get me out and Grant wouldn't get a bat!! We used to play all kinds of sports and climb trees around the neighbourhood. With two other brothers we always were up to something. My childhood fear was getting in trouble with my parents. We were pretty good kids but every now and then it would be the three of us up to something naughty. Technology is the biggest factors causing change to childhood these days. Once we based our lives around a TV show being on a certain time. Today we can catch up to that programme in our own time. Technology is no longer a novelty it's a reality that we need in our lives to complete studies or work. It is sad to see children consistently using technology rather than communicating and learning verbally be it with family or friends.
Brett Lee, former Australian cricketer
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'I feared meeting new people as a kid' I have many happy memories of childhood ranging from being part of a 'gang' in school and having sleep overs and lovely picnics to sitting in the wings and watching Amma perform to family holidays. My worst fear as a child was to have to go to a new place or meet new people alone. I was super shy and clung behind my mother. Today children don't do kid things. They do adult things, dress like mini adults, speak like them. Yes technology is great but most middle and upper class kids do nothing else. And the poor kids need to work. So childhood seems to have disintegrated.
Mallika Sarabhai, classical dancer
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'I still remember visiting amusement parks with my family'
The memory that still stays fresh in my mind was visiting amusement parks with my family. The water rides were always a stand out for me. MGM was our favourite place to visit during the weekends. Heights, I was always afraid of heights as a kid. Till date, turbulence on flights scare me. Yes, I think it has. Back then kids would love to go out and engage in sports and other outdoor activities but today kids are so consumed with the various gadgets available. Dipika Pallikal, squash player
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'I fancied learning swimming'
From the tender age of five, I fancied learning swimming in the river Betawa which flowed near my home. Once I almost drowned in it, but my brother's friend was prompt to rescue me. But only after a couple of days, I jumped again in the river trying to correct my swimming strokes- one of my best memories of childhood. I was the youngest among four brothers and one sister and I remember being quite frightened each time I broke open the electronics such as clock and radio, in my silly curiosity to experiment and to know how it worked. Till 1989, the notion of child rights was not accepted or endorsed, until the adoption of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of Child (CRC). Now at least in principle, childhood does not mean being ignorant or insignificant. Freedom to enjoy ones childhood is now respected and protected as human rights.
Kailash Satyarthi, Nobel peace prize winner