Subhash K Jha
Urmila Matondkar:
“I’m a BA in psychology. I was always under stress in both school and college as I had to manage both studies and acting. I dealt with it by diverting stress into positive aggression in my studies.”
“My advice to students: stress is part of life. You can’t run away from it. So, deal with it before it’s too late. It helps to be book-smart at any time in life, as long as you learn from those books and not just mug.”
Dino Morea:
“I became a graduate. Never took stress at school level in fact had the best time ever. Yes, if reading and being aware of a subject is being book-smart for sure it’s handy in life. I was never depressed in school. I was naughty but I studied hard. Those were the best days of my life.”
Kangana Ranaut:
“I left school when I was 16. But I’m glad to say- I’ve always been a topper in my class. To achieve that I used to study 18 hours a day. The science in school didn’t help me much in my daily life as an adult. But the passion to be the best in my class and the love for books remain. Now I’m an artiste and I read on art. And I thank my hard work during school for this.”
Pritam Chakraborty:
“I did BSC Honors in Geology from Presidency College in Kolkata, post-graduation diploma in sound recording and engineering from the Film and Television Institute Pune. I think mugging up and learning without understanding is useless in later life. But a basic education is important to build up the personality.
“I used to feel stressed before exams after Class 7 when I stood first in class, Later everybody at home became interested in my ranks and that was matter of stress for me for years. I had music to kill the depression created due to studies. Also I had a great circle of family and friends.”
“Doing badly in academics doesn’t mean you do badly in life. Discover your inner strength and choose a career you enjoy.”
Celina Jaitley:
“I’ve done 1 ½ years of BSc ad have a software engineering degree from NIIT. I scored 89 percent in 10th boards and 75 percent in 12th.I used to feel very stressed during board exams. Thanks to my parents I made it through all my panic attacks.”
“Playing a sport like tennis or swimming is a great way to keep fresh and alert. I remember my mother insisted we play a sport for half an hour even during exams. It was great stress buster. Focus well on your studies. Do meditation and take power naps.”
Aarya Babbar:
“I’ve studied till Class 12, and then did a two-year course from NYFA in New York. Be book smart. Don’t be a book slave. You need to understand what are your interests as a student, and explore your personality.”
“I was very stressed in school. I was very relaxed till Class 3. Then I was in those money-making commercial schools which have 40-50 students per class. How can students learn in that crowd? I dealt with depression by watching cartoons and eating chocolates.”
“My advice to students is to chill. Those books don’t decide your future. Your destiny is decided by your self-confidence. Just enjoy what you’re doing and you’ll conquer the world.”
Ken Ghosh:
“I’m a 12th Standard fail. In school I was quite a ‘smart’ kid and actually enjoyed studies because of excellent teachers.”
Shzahn Padamsee :
“I did my 12th and then a diploma in events management. Yes, formal studies help. But not to the extent that textbooks become your be-all. It’s important to undergo on-the-job training like me. I worked in a production house for advertisements and trained to be a copywriter. Then I produced and acted in a play ‘Unspoken Dialogues’.”
“I don’t believe in the system of learning everything by heart. I think students should be allowed to express their thought without it being structured.”
“I never went through depression because my parents were always very supportive when I was in school. Peer pressure can also lead to depression. So, make friends who support and not challenge you.”
Amole Gupte:
“I was a class topper with distinction till the 12th standard and then passed B. Com with 37 percent, having tasted theatre through degree college. I have no distinct school memories except for excursions, plays, poetry, elocution, quiz programmes and art melas. I remember my head mistress in primary school who instilled my self-worth by discovering my recitation skills. In high school my Hindi teacher Naamvar Singh, a poet and lyricist of repute and my English teachers Parmar sir and Acharya sir were known for their passion for the language and their love for Wordsworth, Auden, Frost and D H Lawence and I learnt a lot from them.”
“I feel those who don’t love teaching and children have no right to misspell the subjects to children.”
Sonu Sood:
“I’m an engineer. It’s very important to be formally educated no matter in which field. Every book adds to your knowledge. In school sometimes you feel stressed with so many subjects, workloads, scoring anxiety. The way to handle it is to work harder.”
