I come from a very academic family. Both my parents taught at a university in Hyderabad. And I owe my success to my parents’ total encouragement in everything that I did. They were always there for me. When I was very young, my mother used to teach in a school. But when I was in Class V, she began teaching at a university. This change made our family financially far more stable than before.

Being the youngest in the house, I was extremely privileged. I had my parents, brothers and sisters to help me in everything.

We lived in the university campus and this meant that there were lots of open spaces to play in. I played all kinds of games — kabaddi, volleyball, hockey, basketball and cricket. My parents never put any pressure on me with regard to studies.

I went to the old-fashioned Hyderabad Public School where games were compulsory. I got a lot of opportunities to take part in debates and elocution contests. Initially, I wasn’t very confident and would learn my speeches well in advance. The thought of speaking extempore still worries me and I try and do as much homework as possible in advance.

I was a very naughty child. Whenever my brothers or sisters wanted to play cards with my grandmother, they would ensure that I went to bed early or I would disturb them so much that they would soon have to give up.

I loved to play with our dog and spent a lot of time at home with him. And when our dog died, my parents dug up a pit in the garden and buried him so that he stayed close to us. For almost a year, if any dog went anywhere near the pit, I would throw stones at it.

If someone gifted us assorted biscuits or chocolates as they often did, my siblings and I would wait impatiently for the guests to leave so that we could dig into the goodies. I was so used to sharing whatever we got with my brothers and sisters that even today I find it difficult to eat a whole bar of chocolate all by myself.