The Free Press Journal, on July 22, Saturday, conducted a felicitation ceremony for the toppers of Class 10 from all Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation-run schools in the city. The event was held at The Free Press House in Nariman Point and it was graced by BMC Education Officer Raju Tadvi and The Kerala Story fame actress Adah Sharma.
During the event, Adah was seen reminiscing about her own school days and she revealed how she was one studious kid herself. The event saw Adah felicitate the students with certificates and gifts while congratulating them and she also wished them all the luck for their future endeavours.
Adah also spoke at length about the importance of education in one’s life, irrespective of the career they choose ahead in life. “I had once read a quote by Swami Vivekanand which said, ‘Your quality of life depends on how much you can focus on a particular goal’. And looking at you all, I am sure that you have the brightest of futures as you all are so focused on your studies that you have scored the highest amongst your peers,” she said.
Adah further added, “Education is something which no one can ever take away from you. Even if you lose everything, you will never lose the knowledge that you have gained. And knowledge is something which only increases the more you share it.”
The 31-year-old actress mentioned how there is a general assumption that actors do not need to be qualified, but it is totally incorrect. “Back in my school days, I was a very good student. You might think that I am an actress so I don’t need to be qualified. But trust me, it is very difficult even for us if we are not educated. There are times when I have to learn new languages and skills for my films and that time, it’s my knowledge and education that help me. So, education is something which has to be taken very seriously in life,” she averred.
She also advised the students to respect their parents, elders and teachers as they are the ones who play key roles in shaping the future of the youngsters.
Adah took the students and their parents by surprise when she revealed that she had topped in Marathi while she was in school, despite it not being her mother tongue. “It was not a language which I spoke regularly so I had worked extra hard at studying it. And I revised it so much that till date I remember the whole textbook!” she reminisced and laughed.
Expressing her desire to be a part of a Marathi film, she stated, “I wish to do a Marathi film in my life and hopefully I get the opportunity soon when I can speak fluent Marathi on-screen!”
Adah was also seen interacting with the students and their parents and she made sure that the deserving students left the event determined and motivated. The excited students were also seen clicking pictures with the actress, who graciously obliged.
The event saw 25 students from BMC schools across Mumbai, accompanied by their parents, being felicitated for scoring the highest among their batchmates. At present, Mumbai has over 1200 civic-run schools with more than 3 lakh students studying in these institutions, and The Free Press Journal selected 20 schools from the city to represent at the do.
