PG, the fancy abbreviation for the word paying guest, rather I’d say it isn’t merely a word for a large segment of the people. Being a paying guest in the megacity like Delhi, Chandigarh, Bangalore for the job, college or CA/ IAS/ PMT coaching, it has become more of a fashion now, a lifestyle. The lifestyle which is a perfect blend of self-reliance, great independence, little adventure and loads of fun, however, not to forget the risks of being at your own in times like today in the city that is famous for more than few bad reasons.
For tons of youngsters who come to these cities each year with a dream in their eyes to study at the most prestigious universities of the nation, a real challenge is to find good accommodation. Those students who are not very lucky to get a hostel or do not have any other place to stay, the option of living as a paying guest comes handy.
With the boom of career and educational opportunities in these megacities, there is also an emergency of paying guest facilities in almost every street and locality of the city. These places serve as a new home to many dreamers who flock across the city. Living as a paying guest under a good landlord and with some good roommates helps all the newbies in to swim along with the tides in Delhi. Initial adjustments on living as a paying guest away from home and family is a new experience for many as it’s a new phase of life where we enter. It’s a place where new friends and their silly tantrums replace fights and tussles with siblings, where you realise the true value of mom’s incessant screaming over to have a cup of milk or persistent calling by her to clean our wardrobes.
It’s a place where we learn to cater to our needs in our way. The care and comfort of home are irreplaceable but we learn how to make ourselves home in the new surroundings with new people. To be on our own is a hard task in the beginning especially when you need your mom to iron your clothes or your dad to give a ride to college every day. Residing as a P.G is a fun-filled task when you find pleasure to wake up late without the elders coming to check up upon you at midnight or to watch your favourite television show with nobody to fight for the TV remote.
Staying as a paying guest has many pros when you compare life in a hostel or private rentals. It provides you freedom and independence from the cruel eyes and strictness of hostel wardens and gives the advantage of many basic facilities like food, laundry, refrigerator, television etc. by landlords and maids which one finds hard to cater on our own. Another advantage is that you get much needed social security in a new city when your parents are always worried about your well-being back home and get an opportunity to share your expenses with others which often isn’t available when we stay alone. Though there are pleasures of it, there are often when we face struggles with roommates who are always not your type or to face an irresponsible landlord who doesn’t care much for its so-called ‘guests’. However, to live as a paying guest in these megacities when you’re studying or working is a great option for many people who come here. It’s a place where we learn to cross the rivers on our own.
Although mom’s lovely handmade ‘dal-chawal’ is missed yet there is a delight to share the Dominos pizza with your friends to celebrate an occasion. Sharing the stories of college with your brother or sister is truly missed but we always get to find one true pal to narrate all the crazy things that happen in college. Dad is missed when you need some advice in some serious matters or needs some more pocket money to buy a new watch which you just checked out on the store but the blessing in disguise is we learn how to deal with the important things and save money to buy the next thing on our bucket list.
Of course, with the perks offered, there are endless problems such as the inflated charges, bad quality food and accommodation, non-co-operative roommates, safety concerns and whatnot. However, PGs continue to be the most preferred way out by the youth as it provides the right exposure at the right age to make you self dependent. It teaches you prioritizing, concentrating despite distractions, understanding people, managing routine activities. It gives the learning curve a new direction.
So to all the new and old students living in PGs in megacities like Delhi, Chandigarh, Bangalore here’s wishing you all the very best, keep in line with your goal, work for it, be safe and enjoy the wonderful future to come!