It is well known that theatre personality Arundhati Nag was a disciplined student of the art but not many know that she was a notorious student during her college days. She bunked classes as theatre always attracted her. Nag pursued a BCom from Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics in Mumbai and graduated in 1972.
What did college teach you?
A lot of things — being punctual and handling responsibilities, managing college as well as my theatre dream. I was passionate about learning languages and mainly concentrated on them. This helped me perform in Marathi, Gujarati, Hindi and English plays.
What was your proudest moment in college?
In my first year, I saw a poster on the notice board inviting auditions for acting. This is how I entered the world of theatre. I was selected in the audition and also won a consolation prize for a small scripted drama. Shashi Kapoor gave me the prize and that moment elevated my confidence level in acting. In a Marathi drama, I won the best actress award. Later, I bagged about 15 awards for acting in various plays during my college days. This provided me with a scholarship and my parents were proud of me. During all this, Ek Aur Din was the best play that I was a part of.
Have you had any embarrassing moments in college?
There was no embarrassing moment, but I was sent out of class a number of times for passing chits.
How did you score points with the opposite gender?
Well, I had two elder brothers, so I had more male friends than female ones. I used to roam around with guys and was a tomboy. I met Shankar (her husband) at one of the intercollegiate competitions, when I was 17.
Was bunking a part of your college routine?
I was very regular in bunking classes, as I got attendance for drama rehearsals. My friends and I would bunk and spend time in the college canteen.
Did you have any rifts with professors? Why?
One of the language teachers was a terror, who confiscated our identity cards for our mischievousness. We had to beg for them. But, there were no rifts as such.
What extracurricular activities were you involved in?
Painting was my priority when I was around 15. But then, I painted rarely. One of my paintings was displayed in the college library, which made me feel great.
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