A Country Called Childhood: A Memoir

by Deepti Naval

A Country Called Childhood is a beautifully told memoir of growing up in Amritsar in the tumultuous 1950s and 60s by award-winning actress Deepti Naval. In extremely visual and evocative prose, Naval describes an unforgettable childhood filled with love, adventure, mystery, tragedy, and joy. She uncovers, in great detail, life in an unconventional Punjabi family while plunging the reader into the distinctive sights, smells, and sounds of a fast-vanishing India. Starting at the moment of her birth on a rainy night, she tracks her journey to adulthood, a path punctuated by many personal turning points as also momentous events of national importance, such as the Sino-Indian War of 1962 and the Indo-Pak War of 1965.

Moving and illuminating, A Country Called Childhood shows how Naval’s early love affair with cinema and the experiences of her childhood shaped her career as one of the country’s most admired actors.

Genres: Autobiography, Memoir

379 pages, Hardcover

Published July 2, 2022

About the author

Deepti Naval is an Indian actress, director, and writer, predominantly active in Hindi cinema. Her major contribution has been in the area of art cinema, winning critical acclaim for her sensitive and 'close to life' characters that emphasized the changing roles of women in India.

Reviews

[Prerna Vijayeni · Rating 5 out of 5]

A highly politically conscious memoir, Deepti Naval talks about growing up in post-partition Amritsar, the 1962 & 65 wars, trying drugs as a teenager, Nehru's letter to her father, and how her interest in creative art flourished over time just short of her entry into the film industry.
It's not the kind of memoir one would expect from a film star. The book sticks to the theme of her childhood and early impressions and avoids leaping back and forth in time to connect dots with her later experience in films (she doesn't even mention Farooq Sheikh). With her astute observations and talent for evocative prose, the multi-talented artist is sure to win a million more hearts with this memoir.

[The._Bookarazzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was too young to understand it then, that you don't always get something you really want, that there are times in life when you have to learn to do without.
~Deepti Naval

A country called childhood is a memoir based on 60s award-winning actress, Deepti Naval. She describes everything right from her childhood to adulthood in a very beautiful and captivating way.

She belonged to a Punjabi family, just like me, I found so many things relatable, like the daily chores we Punjabi do and some scoldings and wordings that are still spoken by Punjabis. The mention of the ‘Ghar-Ghar’ game made me nostalgic, even I used to play it with my cousins. Did you peeps too?

Moreover, I was very happy by the mention of the place where I live in the book. This is the first book, where I saw the name and I was over the moon, you know that happiness of reading something about your place.

I found so many incidents of the author’s life inspiring and relatable. I got to know more about post partition scenario of Punjab. It is not an ordinary memoir that we usually read, it had a mixture of all emotions. I enjoyed reading it so much.

If you like reading memoirs, go for it.

[Srishti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Award-winning actress Deepti Naval's book A Country Called Childhood, about growing up in Amritsar during the turbulent 1950s and 1960s, is masterfully written. Naval writes about an extraordinary childhood full with love, adventure, sorrow, and pleasure in a style that is incredibly vivid and evocative. She delves deeply into the atypical Punjabi family's way of life while immersing the reader in the unique sights, sounds, and scents of a rapidly disappearing India.

She chronicles her life from the rainy night when she was born to becoming one of the most admired Indian actresses. While the work of the well-known actor, writer, and painter is, in a sense, an autobiography. On the other hand, it portrays Amritsar in the 1950s and 1960s admirably as a tranquil city.

Deepti, a complex individual, has carved out a special place for herself in the Indian cinema industry, garnering praise for her "tender and near to life" depictions that highlighted the shifting position of women in India. This tenderness reflects in her memoir as well. A delight to read!

[Rajul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deepti Naval is an iconic and a much loved actor. Childhood is a foundation for what we become as a grown up. I was excited to read about Deepti's childhood. It would be particularly interesting because she was born in post partition Amritsar (which is in the border state of Punjab). The story of how her maternal grandparents had to leave Burma in 1942, leaving all their belongings behind except for the gramophone her maternal grandmother loved is very touching and heartbreaking.

The book maps her journey from her childhood and ends whem she was almost 18 and she moved with her family to America.

The childhood stories would definitely invoke nostalgia amongst people who grew up in non internet era, for whom films were the main source of entertainment.

I also found quite a few similarities between her childhood and mine (more about it in my own memoirs 😉)

If you are like me, you will definitely like to read this one!

[Dipika Bangera · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives us an insight into Deepti Naval as an individual rather than an actress only. The choices which shaped her and her everyday life are so beautifully captured. She has not hesitated to mention the bad things she has done and her regret for the same. Everyone can relate to a part of their childhood in her stories.

I enjoyed reading this book and felt like I was conversing with her. It is a memoir and captures the essence of the multi-talented person she is.

[GEETASHREE CHATTERJEE · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew instinctually that Deepti Naval's memoire "A Country Called Childhood" will be an excellent read. 

The book covers the growing up years of the veteran  actress in Amritsar, Punjab until the family shifts to America. It also chronicles some of the landmark historical events of that time period  intricately twined with her genealogical trajectory. The exodus from Burma to Calcutta, the Indo-Sine war of 1962, the India-Pakistan war of 1970.

Giving a very honest commentary, the writer refrains from sketching a larger than life persona of herself. Rather, it's extremely down to earth narration whips up  the fragrances of the 60's and the 70's so vigorously that one gets transported in time - the sights, sounds, colours and thoughts amalgamating into familiar visuals. The  simplicity of life,  the little joys nurtured forever, the interception of unhappiness now and then which are humbling and leading to some bigger truths and the conflicting emotions evolving into maturity. 

The authoress lovingly sketches her childhood in a  middle class family, her father's struggling days, her mother's talents and quiet sacrifices - a source of constant inspiration and creative growth. Her dream of becoming a Bollywood actress - an unabashed digression from  her familial background deeply entrenched into academics. Her foray into stage performances, dance recitals and choir singing snipped short! Her love for poetry, literature and the canvas - an artist in the making.

Inarguably, the entire narrative is through the eyes of a painter poet. The walled city of Amritsar comes alive - its lanes, bilanes , gullies, mohallas, the maseet (mosque), it's white dome in the shape of a budding lotus,  the sound of the azaan breaking into dawn, the playing of the dholak late unto the night in  mochistaan adjacent to Amravalli - her residence, the big phaatak of the house - a lakshmanrekha for the mochi boys playing danda gulli outside, the cinema halls and tailor's shop in Bhandari Bazaar - words become pictures of throbbing, vibrant  living!

I love her new found revelry of cycling days playing with the wind at the same time keeping the rising helm line of the frock in check or the chiffon dupatta within manageable spree. Those were the days of keeping your eyes down and walking past any embarrassment. Those were the days of 'eve teasing' and avenging the slight in one's own way without drawing attention - the elbow crusade!

Her occasional truants from school and  'the great escape'  from home comes in sharp contrast to her life full of warmth and care in Amritsar. Taking a night  train  to see Kashmir on her own and getting miraculously saved from the darker experiences of life are an interesting voyage of hidden desires intersected by divine intervention. It's apparent she is not the one to be bound by routine. She is the one who wishes to soak life in all its shades - glitters and gloom.

I also love her adventures of jumping off the school wall, sitting next to the unknown deity and watching the sun shining suffusing the school building with varied shades of ochre. I love her thirst for journeying unto the unseen, the unbefriended terrains on a bullock cart lying on a haystack , the breeze on her face, the old sardar driving the cart has a knowing smile allowing her to trespass and dropping her off at the Punjab Roadways bus stop while waiting quietly for her to make a safe journey back home.

"A Country Called Childhood" triggers nostalgia. It makes you relive your past, revisit your roots and pine for those days which are now history. Written with lot of heart it's a book to be savoured. There are pages where the past gets infused with the present. To captivate memories Deepti lets passages of essays and anecdotes imaginatively intrude into the narrative perhaps deliberately intermingling facts with fancies.

A lingual treat the narrative is a novel intermix of Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and Indian English - the language of the soil. It is never too colloquial nor too prosaic.

After a long time here is a book which satiates  literary thirst and tickles reveries into something which is not given to banishment by time.

[Debabrata Mishra · Rating 4 out of 5]

👉𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊:-
📚ⓉⒾⓉⓁⒺ:- A Country Called Childhood
🖋️ⒶⓊⓉⒽⓄⓇ:- Deepti Naval
🗞️ⓅⓊⒷⓁⒾⓈⒽⒺⓇ:- Aleph Books
🔤ⓁⒶⓃⒼⓊⒶⒼⒺ:- English
📖ⒻⓄⓇⓂⒶⓉ:- Hardcover
👉𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒:-
Life is a Journey of unpredictability. Author herself faced many things in her childhood in Punjab Amritsar during 1950s.
.
This book is focusing on many hidden things about the author's life & how she tackleed with all this to prove herself worthy & become an award winning actress.
.
In this book author also discussed about the wars of 1962 & 1965 along with her first exposure to the world of cinema.
.
To know more about it grab the book & give it a try.
👉𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐒 :-
🙂 Cover of the book is aesthetic with a nice portrayal of the author.
🙂 Writing style of the book is nice. It's the fourth book of the author but she nicely executed all her experience of life whole journey of her life in a connecting manner.
🙂 Language used in the book is simple & easily understandable.
🙂 All the events of her life & the lessons with a strong mindset & determination of achieving all these goals are just heart warming to read.
🙂 Photos are the visualising memories & the book is nicely signifies it as it helps to go back into the memory lane & relive those moments those era with the author
🙂 The way author represented Amritsar & Punjab of that time it is quite informative to read.
🙂 Book is moderately paced but author focused on each scenerios of her life in such a detailed manner that once you started connecting with it you are not going to put it down.
🙂 Overall it's a decently written book with a great exposure to overall journey of author's life.
𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑:-🌟🌟🌟🌟

[Suyogaya Awasthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.

The 388 pages long the book presented as a memoir live up to its voluminous length as it brings forth a perfect interplay of love, joy, loss, and other allied emotions.

Delving further, the book has been divided into many chapters and the underlying theme which remains pervasive throughout the book remains to be the author’s experience while growing up in Amritsar and the shape of things that came for her in the form of the 1962 and 1965 war and owing to the unconventional childhood she thought the same to be an exciting event. As the chapters progress, prose acts as a bridge that links all the phases of the author’s life. The striking feature of the same is that they can grab the reader’s attention and compel them to reminisce the times cherished and endured by the author.

The writing style of the book has been kept simple and easy to understand, however, a little touch of complexity exists which aids the surrounding context of the prose. Additionally, the presentation aspect has been kept simple and unconventional, enhancing the book's readability, thus making it a must-read for anyone willing to go for a good read.

[Sudhir Dalal · Rating 5 out of 5]

You will never be able to put down Deepti Naval ‘s “A country called Childhood: A Memoir”. Honest, evocative, frank, holding nothing back from her feelings and emotions while growing up and attaining teenage, her autography is most absorbing.

Multi talented Deepti in her memoir comes out as a sensitive child that enjoys every moment of growing up, indulging and excelling in multifacet fields from poetry to painting, from Kathak dancing to acting. Her expressionnist paintings remind one of Amrita Shergill. One of her painting reminds me of “Scream” of Edvard Munch.

She grows up in a family of talented parents, siblings and relatives and friends.

In one chapter she brilliantly describes her adventure of running away secretly to Kashmir and for a moment you miss a beat or two and are relieved to read her unsuccessful escapade terminating unharmed.

Remembering Deepti Naval from my favourite films Chashme Baddoor and Ek Bar Fir, and herein this book,  her narrating her trying out Sadhana Cut or Asha Parekh look as she grows up is so interesting.

A classic autobiography if one, is she coming out with a sequel to cover her years in the film industry? I can't wait to grab a first copy.

[Nidhi Mundhra · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have read about 20% of this book and cannot go on to read more: this is not a memoir but feels like mere ramblings. The story doesn’t go anywhere. I have read and adored Amit Choudhuri’s “A. Strange and Sublime Address”: now that’s a delicious novel about Choudhuri’s childhood that goes nowhere, but it’s so beautifully written, that it doesn’t need to lead you anywhere.
This book was shocking as it was neither well written nor lead anywhere. My mother grew up in Amritsar around the same time, so I at least hoped to get a peek into her childhood, but I couldn’t get past 20%.

[Soumya Banerji]

Engaging account of childhood

I bought the book knowing fully well that it wouldn't be a film tale of a Bollywood actress and I would warn people if they are expecting that. It is a garland of memory snippets that the author has lovingly put together. Deeper Naval is an engaging writer. Her anecdotes are full of Hindi and Punjabi words but her English flows easily too.

[Neetika · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet and relatable story

[Sanjay Banerjee · Rating 3 out of 5]

An autobiography of Deepti Naval. Well-written.

[Mahrukh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written book.. but I found it incomplete in the sense that there is no mention of how she came to be an actor after she went to America.

[Sinduja Krishna Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is very raw and down to earth. It makes you earn for a past that was never yours. Love the way Deepti writes

[Nirmal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable!!! Pleasant read!!!