“I was born on May 29,1943 at the Motobi village (now under Feni district). My mother passed away when I was just one year old and since then I was brought up by my paternal aunt. My uncle used to work in civil services at the time; we travelled a lot because of his various postings," recalls seasoned theatre and TV personality Dr. Enamul Haq.

“I spent my early childhood in places like Lalbagh, Bahrampur, Tangail, Chandpur and Murshidabad. My first school was Tangail's Bindubashini School. Although I can't remember the first day of school, the people around me treated me with great affection since I was a motherless child,” he continues.

“Gollachhut used to be one of my favourite games in school. One day I got hurt while playing and my head was bleeding profusely. I had wild tufts of hair at the time and used them to cover my wounds. My attempts to hide it, however, were not successful. My guardians found out and scolded me. But to tell you the truth I was not a brat, rather I was a very calm and collected.

“I can recount a memorable incident from Tangail. At that time there used to be a notorious local robber named 'Himu Dakat'. My uncle, who was the then Tangail Police Chief, shot and detained him. I had never seen such a heavily built person before. I still remember the thrill of seeing him.

“Planchette, or spirit summoning game was very popular at our home when I was a child. All of us kids used to wait for night so that we could get shivers down our backs.

“My cousins and I also used to go to the cinema halls to watch movies. Uttam-Suchitra films were our favourites. Whenever I tried to speak

inside the theatre, my cousins used to put betel nuts in my mouth to shut me up. I used to see films mostly in Tangail.

“My uncle was later posted to Chandpur where I studied till class three. My memory takes me back to travelling by steamers and launches in the district. I loved the floating feeling when I was on water. I also had some interesting experiences in train during my stay in Chandpur. The funny thing is, I did not know

where I was headed when I travelled by rail or water.

“I remember one night when I was on a launch. The only sound breaking the silence was that of crashing waves and chirping birds somewhere in distance. Far away, small fires burned, filling my young mind with wonder. I fell off to sleep in this frame of mind and when I woke up I was at home.

“When my uncle retired, I returned to Feni. I always used to

“I loved the floating feeling when I was on water. I also had some interesting experiences in train during my stay in Chandpur. The funny thing is, I did not know where I was headed when I travelled by rail or water.”

dress sharp for school and had an urban intonation — a result of staying in cities. On my first day at the Noakhali Loshkor Haat High School, our math teacher made an error, which I did not hesitate to correct. This infuriated him, but we developed a cordial bond later on.

“I can recount a memorable incident from Tangail. At that time there used to be a notorious local robber named 'Himu Dakat'. My uncle, who was the then Tangail Police Chief, shot and detained him. I had never seen such a heavily built person before.”

“I transferred to Feni Pilot High School when I was in class eight. At the time all the top students of the district came to that school. Although I had secured the first position in my previous school, I failed to secure the top slot in class eight. My determination however helped me come first the next time around.

“Bittersweet memories like these still bring a smile to my face.”