nmalik121
June 23rd, 2007, 10:36 PM
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Whatever may be the individual reasons for living all alone in a big city, by choice or by compulsion, there are few common things that bind the singles fraternity together. These common things are as such looking for a room easy on your pocket with good surrounding, managing the landlord’s fussy interruptions, cooking, cleaning, paying bills freedom, and a plethora of other similarities.
Being used to live in a joint family, it was a dream to live alone with complete freedom in all aspects. Last year, when I shifted to Mumbai for a new job in an e-learning MNC, more than anything I was looking forward to live on my own.
However, I got to knew within few first days that living on my own was not going to be a cakewalk. Getting a steady roof over the head in Mumbai has always been the biggest challenge for a new migrant.
Thanks to my Company, I was provided an accommodation for fifteen days in its guest-house. Now, it was time to haggle with the brokers. One thing good about Mumbai is that here you don’t need to move around for finding a property dealer, because everyone from your local Sabjiwala, Watchman, Laundrywala, fruit-vendor, and even your maid are working 24-hours as small-time property agents.
Beside a hefty amount of one-year advance, the biggest disadvantage of living alone as a bachelor is that you are branded immoral by the society. The apartments or housing societies bluntly refused to rent the flat to me just because I was a bachelor. Now, this was the limit. Do they suppose me to marry just to have a rented room? Whew!
I had to forego good flats within my budget’s reach, and had to settle for an average room just because of my bachelorhood. Irfaan, a fruit-vendor, showed me few rooms and I selected one since my timeline for living in the company’s guesthouse was approaching fast. Considering the space and the locality of my room, it was very costly. However, it was a momentary relief to get a roof on my head for at least next eleven months.
Staying alone is a luxury when one has the right support system, but I had came to Mumbai with just two bags full of clothes, few books and a statue of Lord Shiva. The first challenge was to find a maid. I believe, in Mumbai, only two rule the most: Money and Maid. After lots of requests to my landlord and other people in my neighborhood, I found a maid, a 45-years old typical lower-class Maharashtrian lady. She obliged to work only after I had agreed to her long list of “Dos and Don’ts.” In one sentence, I had to adjust my timings according to hers.
Gradually, life was coming back to normal. I had bought required things like TV, fridge, bed etc. I was getting used to do all the small-small but significant chores at my room. I was taught to make bed by myself even when I used to stay in Haryana with my family. So, I didn’t face much problem in that regard.
Living all alone provided me the ultimate independence. I could come and go as I liked, the whole bathroom was just for me, nobody to snatch the remote control from my hands, a much-needed relief from saas-bahus’ serials, no one to question me while playing the music really loud!
However, sometimes it is next to impossible to have privacy even while living alone. I prefer to spend my Sunday at home reading newspaper, watching TV, and surfing on my Laptop, having my weekly share of Chicekn Hawaiian Pizza from Pizza Hut, listening bollywood songs and sleeping, in other words, complete bliss. But, it is the very much the same Sunday when I am being hounded constantly at short time gaps with a rude knock at my door by someone or the other.
Especially, I get irritated with my toilet cleaner who comes thrice a week. Such an extremely thin figure he is, looks like the clothes are being dried on a hanger. He comes always drunk and cleans the toilet with his trembling hands. The worse thing is that he hardly understands Hindi and his weak hearing power combined with being under the booze spell, sometimes it becomes very comical to make him understand what I want to say. God save me.
At times, my loneliness gets to me too. After having a hard day at office and just need someone to talk to. Then, I share my loneliness with the materialistic subjects in my room.
As I enter my room, my door chides me like an angry father, “where were you till now? Is this a home or some hotel? Come inside fast.”
I open the door and go to washroom. The mirror on the bathroom wall gives me a glance and scolds me like a caring sister, “See your face, why don’t you take it easy bro?”
After having bath, I come and lie on the bed, with fan over the head trying its best to make me feel comfortable, with my head on the pillow, as if the darling pillow soothes me like only a loving mother would say, “Come son, don’t worry…sleep peacefully.”
Though this whole conversation may look nonsensical, however, that’s the way I bring the spice of silliness to fight my loneliness. If keep aside my momentary loneliness, I am enjoying living on my own in the city thoroughly. I am single, alone and happy.
Whatever may be the individual reasons for living all alone in a big city, by choice or by compulsion, there are few common things that bind the singles fraternity together. These common things are as such looking for a room easy on your pocket with good surrounding, managing the landlord’s fussy interruptions, cooking, cleaning, paying bills freedom, and a plethora of other similarities.
Being used to live in a joint family, it was a dream to live alone with complete freedom in all aspects. Last year, when I shifted to Mumbai for a new job in an e-learning MNC, more than anything I was looking forward to live on my own.
However, I got to knew within few first days that living on my own was not going to be a cakewalk. Getting a steady roof over the head in Mumbai has always been the biggest challenge for a new migrant.
Thanks to my Company, I was provided an accommodation for fifteen days in its guest-house. Now, it was time to haggle with the brokers. One thing good about Mumbai is that here you don’t need to move around for finding a property dealer, because everyone from your local Sabjiwala, Watchman, Laundrywala, fruit-vendor, and even your maid are working 24-hours as small-time property agents.
Beside a hefty amount of one-year advance, the biggest disadvantage of living alone as a bachelor is that you are branded immoral by the society. The apartments or housing societies bluntly refused to rent the flat to me just because I was a bachelor. Now, this was the limit. Do they suppose me to marry just to have a rented room? Whew!
I had to forego good flats within my budget’s reach, and had to settle for an average room just because of my bachelorhood. Irfaan, a fruit-vendor, showed me few rooms and I selected one since my timeline for living in the company’s guesthouse was approaching fast. Considering the space and the locality of my room, it was very costly. However, it was a momentary relief to get a roof on my head for at least next eleven months.
Staying alone is a luxury when one has the right support system, but I had came to Mumbai with just two bags full of clothes, few books and a statue of Lord Shiva. The first challenge was to find a maid. I believe, in Mumbai, only two rule the most: Money and Maid. After lots of requests to my landlord and other people in my neighborhood, I found a maid, a 45-years old typical lower-class Maharashtrian lady. She obliged to work only after I had agreed to her long list of “Dos and Don’ts.” In one sentence, I had to adjust my timings according to hers.
Gradually, life was coming back to normal. I had bought required things like TV, fridge, bed etc. I was getting used to do all the small-small but significant chores at my room. I was taught to make bed by myself even when I used to stay in Haryana with my family. So, I didn’t face much problem in that regard.
Living all alone provided me the ultimate independence. I could come and go as I liked, the whole bathroom was just for me, nobody to snatch the remote control from my hands, a much-needed relief from saas-bahus’ serials, no one to question me while playing the music really loud!
However, sometimes it is next to impossible to have privacy even while living alone. I prefer to spend my Sunday at home reading newspaper, watching TV, and surfing on my Laptop, having my weekly share of Chicekn Hawaiian Pizza from Pizza Hut, listening bollywood songs and sleeping, in other words, complete bliss. But, it is the very much the same Sunday when I am being hounded constantly at short time gaps with a rude knock at my door by someone or the other.
Especially, I get irritated with my toilet cleaner who comes thrice a week. Such an extremely thin figure he is, looks like the clothes are being dried on a hanger. He comes always drunk and cleans the toilet with his trembling hands. The worse thing is that he hardly understands Hindi and his weak hearing power combined with being under the booze spell, sometimes it becomes very comical to make him understand what I want to say. God save me.
At times, my loneliness gets to me too. After having a hard day at office and just need someone to talk to. Then, I share my loneliness with the materialistic subjects in my room.
As I enter my room, my door chides me like an angry father, “where were you till now? Is this a home or some hotel? Come inside fast.”
I open the door and go to washroom. The mirror on the bathroom wall gives me a glance and scolds me like a caring sister, “See your face, why don’t you take it easy bro?”
After having bath, I come and lie on the bed, with fan over the head trying its best to make me feel comfortable, with my head on the pillow, as if the darling pillow soothes me like only a loving mother would say, “Come son, don’t worry…sleep peacefully.”
Though this whole conversation may look nonsensical, however, that’s the way I bring the spice of silliness to fight my loneliness. If keep aside my momentary loneliness, I am enjoying living on my own in the city thoroughly. I am single, alone and happy.