“Education makes you think better,” says model and actress Aanushka Ramesh who debuted with Punjabi film Canada De Flight
I did my Bachelors in Business Management, PGDBA (Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration- I year diploma) from Christ College Bangalore. On the first day I felt very strange and out of place as I had just shifted from Mumbai to Bangalore. The place was full of South Indians and I did not understand the language at all. Luckily I was in the BBM class which had just 40-45 students and they were all really nice so I made friends easily. The college architecture was beautiful. It was a really huge property and a beautiful campus with open grounds, ample parking space and lots of greenery.
Our professors were mostly South Indian Malayali Catholics. It took me a couple of months to get used to their English accents! Getting into BBM required appearing for an entrance exam, group discussions etc and only a select few got in. The subjects were similar to those in commerce. For my specialization I chose marketing, and we had to do a project with a company as part of our curriculum.
In Bangalore lots of people and especially students use two wheelers, so my parents got me one. I miss that sometimes because I cannot imagine riding a two wheeler in Mumbai! The best part of having a two wheeler was that sometimes we would get 2-3 hour breaks between lectures and we would just take off and explore the city.
Bangalore has lots of great eating joints, and around our college there were lots of beautiful spots so we would just go there and hang. My favorite eating place was this restaurant near my house called Casa Piccola which served amazing continental food. Another favorite meeting place was Brigade Road. It was one of the most happening places where the ‘cool crowd’ used to hang out. It is full of great shopping places, restaurants and pubs.
I now recall an unforgettable but embarrassing incident. My friends and I went for a rock concert. We had a deadline of 12 pm but I got late and got scared of my parents. I tried calling my brother to open the door as I wanted to avoid ringing the bell but he was fast asleep. We used to live in a bungalow on the first floor and the main entrance was locked. So with my friend's help I climbed into my own balcony. We had a dog a huge German shepherd and he started barking! I climbed in quickly and when he saw me he stopped barking. In the morning, my parents were shocked to see me in my room. They asked me what time I came back and when they didn't hear the doorbell, I told them the bell was spoilt and so I called my brother and he opened the door. I was in for a big shock because our neighbors came over and told my father that previous night some thieves came in a white car and one of them was trying to climb up our balcony! They had heard our dog barking and came to their window to check! My parents somehow figured out I must be involved and later I had to tell them the whole story!
My parents were always categorical that I have to complete my graduation, so even though I started modeling in college I was sure that I had to study as well. I think being educated helps you to be more organized, deal with people better, and you are more respected in whatever career you choose. You can think better and it makes a world of difference. I have studied marketing so I can market myself better. I also apply the management principals I studied to my career. I think education is a very important things and no one should skip it.
As told to Monarose Sheila Pereira