Some of the happiest memories of my childhood from Prayagraj, says Kamna Pathak

Kamna Pathak of Happu Ki Ultan Paltan fame has a strong Prayagraj connection. The actress, who was born in the suburbs of the city, has great childhood memories of the place and is still a regular visitor to her ancestral home.
“I have very strong memories of Prayagraj as my grandparents lived in the suburban area. We have our ancestral house there and my vacations as a child were spent there. I used to come from Singrauli, where my father was posted, for the holidays. I recently visited the place for the kuldevi pooja,” she says.
Recalling the time spent in the rural suburbs of Prayagraj, Kamna says, “We have a huge chabutra at our ancestral place with nearly a century-old tree that acted as a kind of playground for the kids of the family. During summers we were given a task to sprinkle water on the terrace where charpayees were spread for making sleeping arrangements for the entire family. My grandmother, who was a great storyteller, used to keep us engaged with her lovely stories. She used to so beautifully narrate the story that I used to imagine the scene and visualize the character. This childhood trait, I believe, helped me to become an actor. She used to grind sattu on the chakki and make super delicious sattu ke laddu.”

The Mango Dreams actress, says, “We used to look forward to our visit to Prayagraj city where we mainly used to go for shopping. We used to buy a lot of clothes from Chowk and Katghar which was the hub for all kinds of stuff. Eating
the famous Hari Namkeen ka samosa was a major attraction. Another typical Allahabadi delicacy called sakoda chaat was also my favourite. You won’t find this chaat variety in any other city.”
She adds, “We also used to go to the famous Khusro Bagh that had some unique variety of black roses in the sprawling lawns which made such a beautiful sight. I still regret that I don’t have any pictures of such picturesque surroundings as cameras were a rarity during that time.” The actress says going to Sangam has remained my most treasured memory. “It was my first experience with any water body. I remember once we had gone during the winters, perhaps during the Magh Mela, for the holy dip. Some of the happiest memories of my childhood from Prayagraj,” she says.

‘Marriage has brought a calming effect on me’
Kamna, who got married to actor Sandeep Shridhar in 2022, says, “Life has completely changed after getting married. I have known Sandeep for the last eight years and he is my best friend. Ours is not a nine-five job and we have an erratic working schedule but as both of us are from the same industry so we know how it works, that has made things easier for us. We have found a mid-way as far as our tastes are concerned. I like very spicy food while he prefers food without chilies. Both of us belong to different cultures as he is a Marathi. Marriage has also brought a calming effect on me.”