Dilip Kumar reminisces about his childhood in Peshawar

On September 29, the provincial government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa announced that the ancestral homes of actors Dilip Kumar and the late Raj Kapoor will be officially bought and converted into museums. The decision is part of the government’s plan to restore sites and buildings of cultural significance in the province.  

Dilip Kumar, whose real name is Muhammad Yousuf Khan, was born in Peshawar. His childhood home has become dilapidated over the years, losing its shape.  

Following the announcement, he shared some memories of the time he spent as a child with his grandparents, siblings and cousins in Peshawar.  

“I am at once full of fond remembrances of my parents, grandparents and numerous uncles, aunts and cousins who filled the house with the sounds of their chatter and hearty laughter,” he wrote on Twitter.

Related: Dilip Kumar’s brothers test positive for coronavirus

3/n I have memories of the sitting room where the family gathered for high tea in the evenings, the large room where the ladies prayed, the terrace, the bedrooms, everything.

— Dilip Kumar (@TheDilipKumar) October 1, 2020

“My mother, who was frail and delicate, was always in the spacious kitchen of the house and as a little boy I would wait for her to finish her chores so that I could just sit by her side and gaze at her beautiful face.”

He reminisced about the scary stories his grandmother cooked up for him to stop him from wandering out of the house alone.  

4/n I can vividly recall the piggy rides on my grandfather’s back and the scary stories my grandmother cooked up to forbid me from wandering out of the house alone.

— Dilip Kumar (@TheDilipKumar) October 1, 2020

He also shared how his upbringing in the heart of Peshawar later inspired him in his work.

“I have lovely memories of Qissa Khwani Bazaar, where I received my first lessons in storytelling, which later provided the impetus to choose meaty stories and scripts for my work,” he continued.

“Every day as the trading closed in the market of Qissa Khwani Bazaar, a story teller would sit in the centre of the square narrating stories of valour and victory, deceit and retribution which I would listen to with wide- eyed attention, seated next to my father and uncles.”

Related: Dilip Kumar’s Peshawar house set to demolish soon

Earlier, Kumar’s wife and former actor Saira Banu also expressed her thoughts on the development.     

“I wish the provincial government success in its efforts and sincerely hope that this time the dream comes true. Mashallah,” she said while talking to The Times of India.

“My heart fills up with joy each time I receive the same news about the ancestral home of Yousuf Saheb in Peshawar in North West Frontier province which the provincial government has been repeatedly trying to turn into a monument for posterity,” she said.

“It has come up so many times in the past and I have appreciated the tenacity with which the government is pursuing the mission of turning the house into a museum for the public to visit and feel the vintage charm of the house where Dilip Saheb grew up like any bright boy of the province,” she added.