#CampusKeDin| Maanvi Gagroo: For Psychology Hons, I switched to Gargi College

From being part of Gargi College’s choreo team, Sparx to taking part extensively in college fests across the country, actor Maanvi Gagroo did it all. And this, she says, was on her father’s insistence to get a hands on “DU experience”. Looking back at those days, the Four More Shots Please! actor now feels, she can’t imagine it any other way!

Why did you choose DU and Gargi College for graduation?

I wanted to study Psychology in my bachelors. And I remember my Dad telling me then: ‘Since you’re not studying medicine (which is what I thought I wanted to study), and going to a regular college instead, I want you to experience DU life, in all its entirety. I want you to participate in extra curricular activities, bunk classes if you want to and get good grades’. My father is himself an alumnus of Hansraj College, and believed DU experience to be truly unique! So I followed his advice to the tee. Now I can’t even imagine DU not being a part of my student life.

Why did you take admission in Lady Shri Ram College (LSR) before Gargi?

I was a student of Psychology, and was very sure that I wanted to study Psychology (Hons). But, I had to wait for the second or third cut-off list to come out, even with 89% aggregate and 91% in best of four subjects. That’s why till I could get this course, I meanwhile took up BA in Journalism (Hons) at LSR. But the minute I got through Psychology (Hons) in Gargi, I switched.

Coming from a co-ed school, was it challenging to adjust in an all-girls college?

Challenging? No! I was looking forward to going to an all-girl college. It always felt like a safe space, and I wanted to experience college life wholeheartedly without having to worry about personal safety. Maybe it was an exaggerated viewpoint at the time, but it was a legit criterion. I also probably wanted to, coming from a coed environment, experience it just for the sake of novelty (chuckles).

Did you have a girl gang in college? Did you bond with them like in Four More Shots Please?

I, actually, did have a gang of four girls. But these weren’t like in Four More Shots Please! I mean the characters in Four More Shots Please! are working women, and their conflicts and experiences are relatively different. Our problems in college, in retrospect, seem extremely trivial (laughs).

Those in my college gang were in different courses, but were part of the same society, so we would end up spending long hours together during rehearsals. Also, one of my closest friends from school was in the same course with me, so that was always great. Our fondest memories would be of travelling together to various college fests.

Which were your go-to spots around college to eat?

We used to have a mattar kulcha walla right outside our college, so that was a favourite. It was a favourite even pocket money wise. Then there was GK M-block market, and of course Kailash Colony. For night outs, the favourites were Hauz Khas Village and Khan Market.

Was commuting to college tough for you?

I lived in CR Park, so for the first few months I would travel by autos. But soon I realised that’s where all my pocket money was going, so I managed to coax my parents into letting me take the car. On a leisurely day, I’d even walk to, or back from college!

Did you bunk a lot of classes?

I did end up missing classes but that was mainly because I’d be in choreo rehearsals and shoot. And because we had marks for attendance, I started lagging behind in class. I happened to have a knee injury at the time and had to stop dancing for a year. That’s when I started attending classes diligently and thankfully our final year curriculum was outstanding. It was the most interesting syllabus we had.

Did you lead your college life in extracurricular activities, how your father expected?

Yes, I was an active part of our choreo team, Sparx. That was a huge part of my college life. I was also simultaneously training at another choreography classes, outside school and shooting. But it was only dancing that essentially took a lot of my time through the three years in college. Most of my memories involve going to fests, within and outside Delhi. I remember our rehearsals with the dance trainers we would bring in, budgeting annual productions, fighting for rehearsal space and time, etc . Incidentally, I was never involved in dramatics society or street theatre (smiles).

Author tweets @anjuri

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