Jassi beyond the telly grind

The most memorable incident that Mona Singh, a.k.a Jassi, recalls about her childhood days in the Capital is when her father caught her bunking school to go on an ice gola and momo binge at Chanakya cinema. "It was the first time that I bunked school to watch a film and look at my luck: my father was driving past the hall!" laughs Singh.

In town to felicitate winners of the ninth Secretary of the Year contest, Singh, who spent three years in Dhaula Kaun and studied at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Janakpuri, says: "I wish I lived here. But then, Mumbai is my workplace."

She fondly recalls her swimming lessons at the Defence Services Officers Institute: "I enjoyed swimming, besides digging into stuffed omelette, ice-cream at Nirula's and golgappas at Bengali Market."

Off screen, she could be a complete antithesis of the unfashionable Jassi. "I love shopping for bright long skirts and jutis at Dilli Haat and Connaught Place," she says.

Delhi is her second home as most relatives and friends stay at Kirti Nagar and Punjabi Bagh: "I catch up with them the moment I land here."

How tough is it for a 25 year old to find recess from the grind? "When I'm not shooting, I'm dubbing, so there isn't any break. Recently, though, my sister Sona was in Mumbai with her nine-month-old son Angad and we had a blast. Work's tough but this is what I enjoy doing."