Childhood was all about running around, drawing cars all over the walls and windows of our house, getting admonished for doing so, listening to music and drumming my fingers on anything that made a sound. In fact, my mother says I was so restless that it was a daunting task for her to get me to sit in one place even for a short while.

I grew up in Lake Gardens, in south Calcutta, and went to Jodhpur Park Boys’ School. As a child I was a sports fanatic. I loved both cricket and football. If I wasn’t listening to music then I was guarding the goalpost for my school team as goalkeeper. There isn’t a single ground in south Calcutta where I haven’t played.

As a young boy, one of the things that fascinated me was a rickshaw. There was a rickshaw puller called Chhoto Kalo who used to ferry me to and from school. I used to find the act of pulling a rickshaw so mystifying that I soon convinced Chhoto Kalo to let me pull his vehicle. Before long, everybody in my house and neighbourhood got used to the sight of me pulling a rickshaw while Chhoto Kalo relaxed on the seat.

I took an active interest in theatre, music and participated in a number of school plays. Once, I saw a performance by a mime artist that left a deep impression on my mind. I was completely mesmerised by the performance and decided to act it out in a school programme. Although my performance wasn’t half as good, I was appreciated quite a bit.

I never got a chance to learn music the way I wanted to as my father did not want me to grow up and become a singer. And I was mortally scared of my father. But it’s also because of him that I have grown up with certain values I am proud of. So I took up a marketing job only to give it up one fine day to record an album. That’s how I became a singer!

I still miss my childhood a lot and try to retain it by being a child at heart. And although I spread my wings and soar high up in the sky, I also try to hold on strongly to my roots.