I’m from a small country town in Australia called Kemp Fey. When I was a child, the war was on and we went through some hard days. My father was in the Australian Army fighting the war in the middle east. As a result, I grew up surrounded by women — my mom, grand mom, aunts and the nuns who taught us. We were practically cornered by the Japanese army and I particularly remember the night when the Japanese submarine reached Sydney Harbour and attempted to sink the ship Chicago. They also briefly shelled the harbour and we hid ourselves under the bed and tables and covered the tables with mattresses!

I was fascinated by the Aborigines, who lived in the same town that we did, but in separate colonies. My uncle’s job was to clean the waste and he used to collect sewage cans from different parts of the town, including the area where the Aborigines lived and I remember wondering that if my uncle — a white man — could collect their waste, then why were they made to sit in a separate area in the cinema?

My grandma was Irish. She was a dumpy little woman wise, with an acumen for business. My grandpa was tall and unhealthy and together they ran a store. I inherited my grandma’s figure and grandpa’s health. I was an asthmatic child with lots of chest problems and I suffered from acute boredom. My mother instilled the habit of reading books in me to rid me of my boredom.

I was also a member of a gentle gang. Smithy, a good batsman and a year older to us was the leader. On Sunday afternoons we used to go out and fight with the kids from the other colonies. One day, we climbed a tree and began throwing stones at the boys passing by. One boy from a group hit me back. The stone hit my temple and though there was little blood, it was very painful. But I was ecstatic with the thought that if my mom saw me she surely wouldn’t send me to school on Monday. I even threw myself down from the tree like the cowboys did in the movies, hoping to give more effect. I pretended to be unwell, while my friends carried me home. But, the next day I was sent right back to school. My message to all of you is, wherever you go, take India and your sweet culture with you.