Parathas, pool tables & power cuts: Life in Delhi PGs
Moving to Delhi for college, I had my fears in order— unfamiliar subjects, unfamiliar people, and unfamiliar metro exits. But what I didn't factor in was how one year in a PG - could give me a crash course in the many layers of adult life.
Unfamiliar city, pestering agents and, alluring pictures on the online websites vis-a-vis the dingy realities on site-visits were quite an experience in our search for a PG. I ultimately landed a top-floor room with a balcony overlooking a silent, unused park and, an unobstructed view of the Indian flag fluttering at the Shakti Nagar crossroads.
We'd start our days with an 8 a.m. breakfast. Lunch was always was one of these - rajma-chawal or kadhi-chawal. Evenings were reserved for snacks - self-serve pani puri (with a potato filling that deeply offended my chickpea-loving Allahabadi heart). Sundays meant chicken curry or butter paneer; the day would end with rounds of pool or UNO. At that point, it truly felt like a home away from home.
The first sign of trouble began with the bed. The initial cosiness soon turned into a war between our backs and spines, prompting us to swap the mattress for a thinner one.
As the months went by, the CCTV stopped working, biometric entries ceased, and the 24/7 guard developed a habit of disappearing for his 'scheduled cigarette moments.'
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