I was five years old when World War II started. My elder brothers would worry me saying that Hitler and Mussolini would carry away our baby sister. However I found logic and consolation in my mother's words that the two dictators were giant-sized and couldn't squeeze in through the door.

As a school student, I used to worry about contracting some horrible disease like leprosy or cancer or a paralytic stroke. My daily prayers ran something like this - "God, please don't give me leprosy, cancer or a paralytic stroke." When I grew up some more, my knowledge of the world and medicine increased and I added Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and a whole lot of other diseases to the list. Looking back, it would have been easier for me to keep a medical dictionary in hand while praying and to have requested God to make me free of all the ailments contained therein. Anyway, the prayers have worked - at least till now.

My second source of worry as a student was about getting punished at school for late-coming. None of the watches or time-pieces at home would work - there were very few of them those days - and we used to measure time from the length of the sunlight beams on the kitchen floor, filtering in through the window - somewhat like a sundial. On an overcast day, I could not judge the time and reached the school so early that it was not even open. After I waited for an hour, the peon came with the keys to the classrooms and I had to wait outside till the rooms were swept.

Examinations never bothered me because of the prayers I offered to all the Gods of the Hindu pantheon before putting pen to answer-sheet.

I used to worry no end when my daughters started going to school. Till they returned, I used to imagine all sorts of calamities befalling them - like the school bus breaking down, their getting injured in an accident or getting kidnapped. A thankful sigh would go up to the heavens when they returned safely.

One of my secret worries was, and is to this day, that the public would find me in my usually torn undergarments when they loosened my clothes after an accident. God save me from this.

My job never worried me too much because I never took my career seriously. The General Manager of the company was an old man, reappointed after retirement under the designation of Technical Advisor. He used to look ten years younger than his age. He told us that the secret of his excellent health was a worry-free life. One day, he was so worried that he decided enough was enough. He violently shook his head and the worries dropped off. After that he put a ceiling on worries and this it seems worked like magic! All of us can follow his example - at least those of us who don't suffer from spondylitis of the neck!