'Home felt like...public toilet': Rajiv Thakur recalls childhood struggles
What's the story
Comedian and actor Rajiv Thakur recently opened up about his difficult childhood on Vaibhav Munjal's podcast. Thakur spoke about living in extreme poverty, studying under a single 40-watt bulb, and surviving on the bare minimum before making it big in the entertainment industry. He also revealed that he rarely talks about his early years because the memories are still too painful.
Family struggles
'My father was thown out...'
Thakur shared that his family's life changed drastically after his parents got married. "It was just like those old Hindi films. After my parents got married, my father was thrown out of the family home." "Overnight, they went from living in a comfortable house to a single-room home. That one room was our bedroom, living room, kitchen and even our bathroom."
Childhood memories
'Used to feel like home was a public toilet'
Thakur also spoke about the daily struggles that defined his childhood. "We lived on the third floor without a lift, so we had to carry buckets of water upstairs every day." "My mother stitched clothes to support the family, and she would carry the clothes to customers and bring them back." He added, "If one person was bathing, the other four had to wait outside. I used to feel like our home was a public toilet."
Financial struggles
On surviving the 1984 riots
Thakur's father's thread factory in Amritsar was destroyed during the 1984 riots, leaving the family without a stable source of income. "My father was unemployed. We couldn't even pay the rent. There was only one 40-watt bulb in the room." "I hated yellow light because I'd never seen a tube light. Whenever I visited someone's house and saw white light, I'd wonder when we'd ever have one in our home."
Reflection
Looking back at his journey
Looking back, Thakur said he is still amazed at how far he has come. "Sometimes I feel I've achieved much more than I ever imagined. But then you look around and feel someone else has gone ahead. That's probably the nature of life." Earlier, speaking to Hindi Rush, he revealed that 50gm of butter was considered a luxury in their household. Even today, he asks for extra butter whenever he visits Amritsar as it reminds him of his childhood treat.
Career path
Thakur's journey from Amritsar to Mumbai
Thakur began his comedy journey with Kapil Sharma and Chandan Prabhakar in Amritsar before moving to Mumbai for a career in entertainment. Over the years, he has appeared in several comedy shows and is now a familiar face on television. "People often say you should turn your pain into stand-up comedy. I do that sometimes, but even while performing those jokes, the pain is so real that I end up in tears backstage," he confessed.