When Sonia went on rewind mode at her alma mater in Agra

She has shown her versatility on screen with her diverse roles on television – in real life,

Sonia Balani

is a cheerful girl from

Agra

who loves to eat, play pranks on friends and spend time with her family. After her show 'Detective Didi' went off air, Sonia took a break from acting and visited her family in Agra recently. From exploring the Chaat Gali in

Sadar Bazaar

to

shopping

and visiting her alma mater St John’s College after years, Sonia did it all to make her recent Agra visit a memorable one.

‘I had a blast in school, but college wasn’t that fun’
Sonia used to be a notorious kid in school and would get scolded by her teachers often for playing pranks on her friends and teachers. “I had the best days of my life in school. I used to participate in all the cultural activities. I would make sure I was placed in the centre of every group dance performance. I would play pranks on my friends and teachers, which often landed me outside the classroom. Though I enjoyed a lot in school, college wasn’t that fun. I used to go to college only to attend classes and would then run to attend coaching and dance classes. I didn’t get time to enjoy college life,” she says.

A TRIP DOWN THE MEMORY LANE

‘Agra’s street food is the best, but nothing can beat Mumbai in terms of Shopping’
The '

Tu Mera Hero

' actress is a self-confessed foodie and finds Agra’s chaat unbeatable. “Agra has the best chaat in the world. I love going to Chaat Gali. Yahaan ki chaat bahut different hai. I visit Kulfi Corner in Sadar whenever I am in the city and have the yummy cheela and golgappes from the market. The only thing I miss in Mumbai, apart from my family, is Agra’s street food,” she says.
Though Sonia loves Agra’s food, she prefers Mumbai for shopping. “For shopping, I would say Mumbai has no match. Trends start from there, so I don’t think it would be a good idea to shop in Agra.”

‘College students in UP don’t get much exposure’
While Agra is a popular tourist spot thanks to the Taj Mahal, Sonia feels that there’s still a lot to do in terms of higher education in the city. She says, “UP has some of the best schools in the country, but when it comes to colleges, we lag behind metros like Delhi and Mumbai.”
Sonia added, “Students who have studied in the best schools of Agra, don’t prefer to enroll in the city colleges as they are not at par with even the average colleges of Delhi University. I think that students here don’t get much exposure that is required to face today’s competitive world. This has been my personal experience. In the future, when I earn enough money, I would like to open a good university for the students of UP so that they don’t have to leave their state to pursue higher education.”

Sonia goes shoe shopping at Sadar Bazaar

‘No direct flights between Agra and Mumbai irritates me a lot’
Sonia makes it a point to visit her family in Agra on every festival, but no direct flight between Agra and Mumbai often makes it difficult for her to visit her hometown. She says, “Though the Agra airport is functional now, it would be nice if we could have direct flights between Agra and Mumbai. It will not only be good for the people who fly between the two cities, but will help the tourists too.”

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