On 16th September 1992 a normal occurrence happened at the Rafique Nursing Home in Banda. Just like many newborns, I was born with the umbilical cord entangled around my neck. A nurse said that it was by the blessings of ALLAH and that I would be a very lucky child. I don’t know if I believe in it but it is the one thing I was told by my parents about my birth that I remember. We lived in Azad Nagar, I even remember the house number it was 1/706. I have vague memories of my playschool, I think it was called Shishu Mandir and was near to our house. After playschool I began my formal education at St. Mary's Sen. Sec. School, Banda. It was 8 km far from my house, run by Catholic Christians who believed in discipline and a very high standard of education. Overall my early years of schooling were quite wonderful. I had my share of spanking, and was often made to stand in the corner with my finger on the lips. I was forced by my teacher to learn how to swim by being thrown into the water and expected to survive with gallons of water in my stomach, eyes and ears. Till date I hate swimming…and my teacher for subjecting me to this torture.   But all said and done I love all my teachers. They were very kind and sweet. I guess the essence of one’s life is developed during these formative years. And I feel I had the best formative years because of the nice teachers I had. Here’s to all of them…good morning ma’am and thank you ma’am.   St. Mary's Sen. Sec. School: Right or wrong…east or west, my school is the best. St. Mary's was a strict disciplinarian school run by Catholic Christians. One could not wear the wrong uniform or grow their hair beyond a certain length. Many a times I had to get my hair cut in front of the whole assembly of students early in the morning. The barber used to be from a nearby street-side shop who hadn’t bathed or brushed his teeth. He was as sorry to be there as I was to be sitting on his uncomfortable chair. And before beginning his hack job, he would ask if I wanted a Dharmendra or an Amitabh cut. By the time he was through, I just hoped I didn’t look like a porcupine or a pineapple. My hair never recovered from these frequent attacks. This truly is the secret of my hairstyle, if one can call it that. I was quite a good student, though I never studied throughout the year. The only time I studied was the night before the exam, when I wouldn’t sleep a wink and go straight for the exam. I did rather well and this gave me the opportunity to do a whole lot of interesting stuff in school.