Those were the best days of my life

Debatably one of the most successful playback singers of our times, Shantanu Mukherjee or Shaan has some wonderful memories of his childhood. While he was neither a prankster nor a bully, Shaan loves to reflect on his simple upbringing and the timeless moments spent on the staircase on his first floor residence, listening to his dad’s music sessions and talking to sister Sagarika, to maker him smile on rainy days.
“I had a very protective childhood. I lived in Bandra as a kid and I still live in the same area. Unlike many others I know, I did not travel around too much,” he recalls.
As a youngster, Shaan was an avid sports-lover. “I played cricket and football initially. My friends and I even formed a basketball team in our final year at school but due to some issues we could not participate in the tournament. When I was not playing cricket, football or basketball, I spent my time on the field. I was pretty good at the 800 metres run among others,” he says.
“Being in a catholic school, most of the songs I learnt were in English. The first hindi song I actually learnt was Hume Tumse Pyaar Kitna. I performed the song at a school function and bagged a second prize,” he laughs. “I could have been first, but the instrumental was at a very high note and I could not take that pitch.”
Ask him what he would be if not a singer, he says, “A teacher. As a kid, I always thought that I could come up with some great techniques to teach students. I would probably be sitting somewhere creating new ways of imparting education.”
Shaan’s parents were very supportive of him as well. “I used to walk around wearing a crossa and think of myself as a catholic, but my parent’s never endorsed their religious views on me. They were cool with everything I did.”
But sister Sagaraika definitely was the bundle of joy. “She was a complete tomboy and was the confidante of all my friends. We called her Didi and she had the last say in our disputes. Suddenly, when she turned sixteen, she decided that she had become a woman and abandoned all of us,” he jokes.
“I really love to think about the days when Didi and I sat on the steps of our first floor residence, listening to dad’s music sessions and talking about…life, in general. Those really were the best days of my life.”