Tamannaah Bhatia: When I was in school, I would often ask myself: What is life?’

During an interaction with students at a suburban Mumbai school, Bollywood actress Tamannaah Bhatia spoke about school memories, life lessons and the philosophy she associates with nature while attending a bonsai exhibition on campus.Reflecting on her own school years, Tamannaah said that while institutions help shape young minds, life itself becomes the ultimate teacher. “We attend schools only to grow up and realise that the schools we started our lives in were not the actual schools we were going to end up in. The school of life is a very different kind of school,” she said.

She added that supportive educational environments prepare students for challenges beyond classrooms.

“We are lucky to have such schools in Mumbai that help us deal with life later. When the actual school of life starts, we remember the happiest days we spent in school,” she said.Describing childhood as a time of discovery, Tamannaah said school years allow young people to learn through mistakes. “Those days in school are the best days of your life — carefree, where you can make mistakes and learn every day. Most importantly, you learn how to learn,” she shared.

The actress also recalled questioning the meaning of life during her student years. “When I was in school, I often asked this basic question: what is life?” she said, adding that her perspective evolved over time. “I realised life doesn’t really have a fixed meaning — it’s the meaning you choose to give it.”