After ‘3 Idiots’, Bollywood advises on student stress

MUMBAI - Aamir Khan starrer “3 Idiots” has spurred Bollywood personalities to look at their educational qualifications, how they got their degrees and how students should lead their lives.

The film, about life in an engineering college, tried to give the message that getting a degree is not the be-all and end-all of education.

Here is how some Bollywood personalities react to questions on their student life and give their advice to students:

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 of life, as long as you learn from those books and not just mug.”

Dino Morea: “I became a graduate. Was never stressed at school. 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.”

Kangana Ranaut: “I left school when I was 16. But I’m glad to tell you 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 honours in geology from Presidency College in Kolkata, postgraduate 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 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 rank and that was a 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 Jaitly: “I’ve done one and a half years of BSc and 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 a great stress buster. Focus well on your studies. Do meditation and take power naps.”

Ken Ghosh: “I’m a 12th Standard fail. In school I was quite a smart kid and actually enjoyed studies because of excellent teachers.”

Amole Gupte: “I was a class topper with distinction till the 12th, then passed BCom 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 I loved my Hindi teacher Naamvar Singh, a poet and lyricist of repute. And my English teachers Parmar sir and Acharya sir for their passion for the language and their love for Wordsworth, Auden, Frost and D.H. Lawrence.”