'Hey! That's my sacred corner'

The very thought of staying away from home and living in a hostel, sharing your room with unknown people make some students freak out. In order to get the feeling of privacy and to have some space for themselves, most hostellers personalise their living area. They make their part of the room look good and different according to their choice.

By personalising their space, students feel more comfortable and most importantly, they feel that they are at home. Sweta Singh, a jewellery designing student, says, “Hostels and PG accommodations are places where you don’t have your family or loved ones. Personalising one’s space somehow makes one feel nice, and reminds one of the good times at home in the company of parents, siblings and cousins. I have been away from home for almost six years now. I just love to customise every thing in my room with pictures of my loved ones and other beautiful things which I find when I go shopping."

Most students not only keep pictures of their family but they also take pains in decorating the room by putting up colourful blinds, paintings, artefacts, stuffed dolls, wall hangings and many more. There are some students who go to the extent of getting their rooms painted too. 

Anil Jacob, a second-year MBA student, says, “Taking into consideration that there is another person sharing the room, personalising my space makes me feel good. Personally, from my perspective, I would love to keep all my valuable memories like photos of my loved ones, my electronic gadgets and also my medals from school and college. All this stay fresh in my memory and I don’t feel lost and away from home. My room stays clean and looks neat also.”

Personalising one’s space does become a little tough. Sometimes, if there is a nagging roomie, it also turns out to be a motivating factor to personalise the room. Sneha, a first-year MBA student, says, “I would not like to stay in a hostel if I do not have any personal space for myself. I feel quite awkward, so I take a lot of pain in keeping my part of the room clean and good looking. Though some roommates may not like it, I don’t have a problem, I continue to do what I feel is best for my room.”