Every year on November 14, Children’s Day is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. On the day, actor Soha Ali Khan took to her Instagram to post childhood pictures of her mom, actor Sharmila Tagore, and dad, cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, aka Tiger Pataudi, with Nehru. She remarked on the significance of the occasion in her caption.
When young Sharmila Tagore, Tiger Pataudi met Nehru
Soha posted three monochrome pictures on her Instagram account. One picture shows a young Sharmila pinning something onto Nehru’s coat. Another picture shows her standing beside him at the All India Radio (AIR). The third picture she posted shows Tiger sitting next to Nehru during an unknown occasion.
“Before they were my parents, they were children too. Today, on Children’s Day, which marks the birth anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, I’m sharing two special glimpses from our family albums,” wrote Soha in her caption, adding, “My mother as a little girl, my father as a boy, alongside a man who believed that children were the future of the nation.”
Soha further wrote about how Nehru’s birthday turned into Children’s Day, adding, “Pandit Nehru ji’s birthday became Children’s Day in India because he didn’t want the day to be about himself – he wanted to celebrate the future of the nation, our children and to give each of them an opportunity to dream big.”
She ended her note with a wish for all the children of the country, writing, “My parents had big dreams – with talent, hard work. perseverance and opportunity their dreams came true. May every child have the same chance turn their dreams into reality. Happy Children’s Day!”
About Sharmila Tagore-Tiger Pataudi
Sharmila and Tiger met at an after-match party in 1965 and dated for about four years, during which he would woo her with everything from roses to air conditioners. They even lived together before their wedding in 1968. In June this year, Sharmila, while speaking to Barkha Dutt, recalled that everyone was sceptical about their relationship. “Yash Chopra told me, ‘These Nawabs are very doubtful people, so you have to be very careful.’ He was a good friend and genuinely concerned,” she said.
On Siddharth Kannan’s show, Sharmila’s eldest daughter, Saba Ali Khan Pataudi, revealed that her mother had converted to Islam for the marriage, as was the norm at the time. Their three children, Saif Ali Khan, Saba and Soha, were born in 1970, 1976 and 1978 respectively. Tiger died at the age of 70 in 2011.