It was a moment of pure bliss and pride for Vedang Raina as the actor returned to his alma mater, Jamnabai Narsee School in Mumbai on Tuesday.

Invited as the chief guest at the annual sports meet for differently-abled children, he shot exclusively for HT City and told us how life has come full circle for him. “The last memory I have of this special sports day is when I was escorting the chief guest inside, who happened to be (actor and co-star) Alia Bhatt,” he shares.

While he didn’t interact with Bhatt back then, the 24-year-old did remind her about it when they collaborated on Jigra: “I told her the story, that’s when I found out that she was also in the same house (MG) that I was in. That was a cool thing to bond over.”

Now, Raina describes his return to the campus as “surreal”: “To see the student council do what I was doing, not so long ago, was really amazing.”

The visit also brought up a lot of memories for the actor, who goes on to recount an incident that left him in tears. “Maths used to be my strongest subject, but I think I got a bit overconfident. During the board exam, I was sitting happily after finishing the paper. With only two minutes left, I realized I hadn’t done the last question, which was a 10 marker. I can never forget the panic I felt then, because I actually cried afterwards,” he reveals, adding, “Somehow, I still got a 91. More than my awards, my 97% marks in boards is the biggest flex I have.”

Basking in nostalgia, Raina tells us, “I hope I am able inspire [the current students] to not just get into acting, but to dream so that one day, they are also called as a chief guest after excelling in their profession.”