A taste of freedom

Managing Life

Freedom comes with respo­n­sibilities and independe­n­ce with a price. Ask fuchchas who have just joined Delhi University from all over the country and are getting a taste of their new found freedom. 

While for local students, college means a mix of studies and fun, for 1000s of outstation students, it means added duties. Living away from the family for the first time comes as an eye opener for them as they learn how to manage everything on their own.

From finance to food; clothes to security, everything has to be taken care of by the students who never perhaps hitherto bothered to know how all their work gets done with such ease when they were living with parents.

Metrolife checks out what the freshers have figured out, about handling ‘ghar grehasti’ all by themselves. To begin with, most enjoy the freedom that comes with living alone and far away from the discipline imposed by parents. However, they also agree that nothing can replace the convenience of living at ‘home’.

Aditi Goel, a first-year student of Shri Ram College of Commerce (DU) who hails from Haryana, says, “I am confused. I don’t know if it is good to stay away from one’s parents or bad. In a way, it is good as I am learning to be independent. But I am bad at judging people and I have to take all the decisions on my own. Unlike before, I cannot consult my parents even for the smallest decisions.”

Managing a budget is another thing that everybody finds the toughest. “It is quite tough living by myself. Its been exciting but the real shocker is managing the money. Surviving a whole month with a limited amount is quite difficult,” laughs Suraj Upadhyay, another first-year student who lives in an apartment with other students. Managing a small budget was not something that they ever had to consider prior to this. 

“It feels awkward to ask for money from parents in the middle of the month. So, I think twice before buying anything for myself. Since food is really bad at the PG accommodation, we do end up spending a lot of money on outside food,” says Aditi.

Expectedly, home-cooked food is craved by those who have left homes for higher education. “I have to come to terms with the fact that mummy is not there to wake me up, give me bed tea and breakfast just when I want it. I do miss home-cooked food even more now,” says Arunima Bishnoi, a first-year student who hails from Hissar. Those who have learned to cope, believe that it is no less than an achievement and that it will go a long way in helping them prepare for future. 

A final-year student Naveen V, who is from Tamil Nadu says, “Initially, it was difficult to even live. It took me even more time to accustom myself to the change as I had a language barrier also. Food was also a major issue. But I got used to it... even with the language. My biggest achievement is that after two years, I can speak Hindi very fluently,” he adds.