I grew up in a joint family in Palonghat, Assam. I have three brothers and two sisters, but together with my cousins there were as many as 15 children in the house. I was the youngest. So we had a merry time at home, playing badminton, khokho, baghbandi etc. Though I had so many cousins, my best friend was my uncle, who is about 15 years senior to me. Even now, we keep in touch.

Our house was huge. Kalipuja would be held in the courtyard and we would feast on the fruits in the orchard. There was a pond nearby. Before school and in between classes, we would troop off for a swim. We were so fond of this diversion that a domestic help would be sent with a lathi to drive us out of the waters. We were safe at school (C.C.J.C. Palonghat Higher Secondary School), though. My uncle was the principal and I was a quiet kid otherwise and a very good student too. I didn’t like English and Hindi, but I was good in Bengali, Sanskrit and the sciences, especially maths.

I had a talent for sketching portraits. In classes V and VI, we learnt graphs. Then on, I could vary the sizes of pictures proportionately. After class X, we shifted to Silchar. Initially, I wanted to study medicine, but then decided to pursue engineering. At that time who knew I would be a singer? I earned a diploma in engineering from Gurucharan College. I started taking music lessons after college. My first gurus were Dipak Bhattacharya and Amarendra Chakraborty.

Classical lessons are vital to train one’s voice. I started disliking studies but my mother insisted that I finish college first. I met my wife Bandana there. She inspired me to follow my dream, quit my job and set sail for Mumbai. One gets just a single chance in Mumbai. Thank god, I have been able to make the most of it.