Nandita Das: ‘As an alumna, it’s a happy moment’

For actor Nandita Das, it’s a moment of pride as her alma mater — Delhi University’s Miranda House — has been ranked the number one college in India. The college has retained the top position for the fifth year in a row in the NIRF (National Institutional Ranking Framework) rankings 2021 released recently.

The actor-director is elated to be a part of the college’s legacy. “I’m most delighted to know that it has been rated as the number one college. I am not sure what the criteria are but as an alumna, it is a happy moment,” she shares.

Das, 51, who has served twice on the jury of the Cannes Film Festival, reminisces her memorable campus life and shares that she was an active participant in art and drama. She says, “I did my Geography Hons from Miranda House. But apart from the academics, I was really active in the performing arts too.”

However, being involved in extra curricular activities didn’t mean bunking classes for Das. She says, “I was a fairly diligent student, my attendance was rather boringly high. That was also a time when I used to do street theatre, dance and music. So, immediately after classes, I was out of college.”

The 1947 Earth (1998) actor also had her first brush with student union politics during her time at Miranda House. She recalls, “I contested elections as an independent candidate. I remember making ‘parchas’, writing them with friends and sticking them all over and then picking them up when people threw them away. Winning that election had its own excitement!”

Going from studying at a co-ed school to adapting to an all-girls college, Das admits, was a learning experience. She continues, “Hanging out with other girls was a lot of fun and that’s where I also learnt first-hand about women bonding. That women are effortlessly strong and vulnerable and can lean on each other.”