A final year English literature student of Mumbais National College, Nirja Patyal (20) divides her time between attending lectures and rehearsing with the theatre group Josh, which she founded with eight friends in 2005.Theatre always fascinated me, but for a long time it remained just a pipe dream. Then during my summer holidays after my class X exams in 2003, I volunteered to work backstage at Mumbais famous Prithvi theatre. Luckily one of the actors of a play backed out, so on impulse I auditioned for the role and was selected. There was no looking back and I fell passionately in love with the stage and acting, recalls Nirja. Following the end of her summer stint at Prithvi, she signed up with National Colleges Spectrum theatre group, and got a chance to act and help with the production of numerous college plays. Simultaneously to develop her acting and emoting skills, she enroled in Deepti Joshis theatre group and acquired professional training. The turning point in her stage career came during the summer of 2004, when she was selected for an intensive three month training programme in the reputed London Language and Drama School, UK. Back home she was promptly selected by a Kolkata-based theatre group — Aabar Dekkbo — which was staging an English play and looking for a lead actress. The play (The Many Names of Darkness) went on to become hugely successful and was invited for a performance in Washington DC in 2005 by the Bengali community. Since then Nirja has been acting, directing, and scripting the plays of Josh, which actively participates in drama festivals and competitions across the country, and has performed in over 20 cities in India since 2007. In 2008 her group was selected to represent her college for a three-week International Cultural Exchange programme at NAMA — National Academy of Mime and Acting in Stockholm, Sweden. Last year on the recommendation of the Rotary Club of Mumbai, the National College drama troupe was invited by the Rotary Clubs of Brussels (Belgium) and Rabat (Morocco) to perform at their Youth and Culture Peace, and Cultural Tolerance festivals. Managing studies and theatre simultaneously requires well-developed time management skills and discipline. Its a great preparation for life beyond college gates. Im very glad that I made the time for co-curricular education, says Nirja. Neha Ghosh (Mumbai) Manasvini Pant A class III student of Dehraduns Sun Valley School, Manasvini Pant (8), walked into the national spotlight when it was officially confirmed on April 12 that she would be starring in a 150-minute feature film, My Summer Vacation. Already a child star, Manasvini has just wrapped shoots for several ad campaigns for popular brands such as Cadbury Eclairs, Butter Bite Toffees and Parle Poppins. Directed by Sanjay Mishra and produced by Pankaj Kumar of Tun Tun Promotions under the T-series banner, My Summer Vacation is due to be released early next year. The storyline revolves around an evil magician and a beautiful fairy who protects a group of…
