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I still remember pre-Independence
Dhaka. That’s where I was born. We lived in Zindabahar
Lane, an area predominated by Muslim households. Our Muslim
neighbours always stood by us. Whenever riots broke out,
they would shelter us and secretly bring us daily provisions.
My father married a second time
when his first wife passed away. I was the 17th of 20 siblings.
Ours was a huge family of brothers, sisters, nephews and
nieces. Every day around 50 people would sit down for lunch
in our home. My father passed away when I was only seven,
and in such a big family, my mother could never pay me much
attention. When I woke up in the morning, she was already
busy with household chores; when I went to bed, she was
still working.
So, I grew up to be a very naughty
kid. I had quite a reputation for stealing guavas and plums
from trees in the neighbourhood. I would tease many of the
teachers at school since I thought they were useless and
bad at the subjects they taught. I also had the habit of
stealing ? if I saw a fountain pen I liked in someone’s
pocket, I would wait for the next opportunity to lay my
hands on it ? and that’s something I regret now. My
elders, of course, didn’t think my behaviour was up
to the mark. For me, getting scolded or beaten was quite
normal.
Pogose school ? that’s where
I studied ? had the largest number of students in Dhaka.
In spite of my unruly behaviour, our headmaster was very
fond of me. That’s because once I had drawn his portrait
and he had liked it a lot. I was also in the school cricket
and football teams, playing as the goalkeeper and going
out to open the batting. I just loved flying kites ? something
we did in the winter months ? especially on the day of Saraswati
Puja. Right from making the manja, the special thread
for the kite, to assembling my own kites, I enjoyed every
moment of it.
By the age of 10, I had made
up my mind to become an artist and I went away to Madras
to sudy art when I was 17. It’s been a long struggle
since then. Always remember that there is no substitute
to hard work.
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