'I was famously called the music girl'

Shibani Kashyap, a former student at LSR, says she owes it to the college.

Is singer Shibani Kashyap gets nostalgic as she talks about her days at Lady Shri Ram (LSR) College. She did her graduation in English honours from LSR.

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College days were...
Great fun!! Although I was good in academics, I still took keen interest in extra-curricular activities-be it debating, dramatics or music. In fact, it was in LSR that I first picked up the guitar. LSR taught me a lot about music and slowly it became my forte. I represented my college in all inter college music fests. I was famously called the "music girl". Music became my identity in college.

A memory you hold close to your heart?
I participated in Andrew Lloyd Weber's musical Cats. We were a group of 17 and trained for six months. It was a unique experience. I even formed a small girl band in the college.

Your hangout joints...
I loved hanging out at the LSR cafe. The sev puri wallah outside the college was an absolute favourite. In fact, Nirula's had just opened up then and it was considered really "cool" to hang out there. So I would go there with my friends and sit there for hours.

Dearth of eye candy would have been very upsetting?
Oh! Yes. But then fests used to be your time to drool over guys. Guys from different colleges would come to LSR fest and we used to dress to kill. Mini Mathur (TV anchor) and I were best friends in the college. We used to share the same pair of glasses, for we both had the same lens power and hated wearing glasses. However, during the fests we both would wear glasses alternatively and check out the cute guys! (Laughs)

How did your first album happen?
I used to sing jingles for radio while I was still in the college. In 1996, I sang my first jingle for AIR and it is still on the air. I came out with my first album soon after I finished college: Ho Gayi Hai Mohabbat (1998). After that there was no looking back.