‘I WAS VERY SHY IN MY FIRST YEAR’

Actor Konkona Sen Sharma remembers her college days in Delhi University

Those days were great. I was finally out of school and it was the first time that I had left home to study. I lived in Gurgaon, which was at the other end of the town, and we had to take the U-special (university special bus) to my college, St. Stephen’s. Now, of course, it is so much easier to commute by the Metro.

I had a fantastic time at Stephen’s. Most of the time, I hung around in Tagore Park in Vijay Nagar, and other places in and around campus. That way, it was great because I could participate in college activities and rehearsals and roam after classes and live college life to the fullest.

But that’s not to say I was always outgoing and social. In my first year, I didn’t take part in anything because I was very shy. I didn’t want to audition (for acting roles in plays) because I was scared. But I opened up slowly. And once I did, it turned out to be great fun. We did a lot of plays and I enjoyed every bit of it.

Come to think of it, I didn’t always know that’s what I’d like to eventually do — act. Some students have a clear focus and they know what they want to do in life, but I was a little unsure of what to do. I’m sure there are many others out there who feel the same way, and in that case I think it’s important to go to a good college or a college you like, because then you get an overall experience. You get many opportunities to explore so that something may strike you as ‘this is what I want’. Thankfully, Stephen’s did it for me.

And there are so many other things I love about my college. It has a great building. We used to hang around so much in the college itself, and we used to eat at the Rohtas dhaba which was popular those days. Then of course, there was the awesome college cafe and our very own Kamla Nagar, where we would spend hours. Or, we’d go to the Tibetan market. Those days were beautiful ... these are the best days of your life, so one must make the most of college!

PHOTO: SANTOSH HARHARE/HT