Saturday, October 9, 2010

Wanna try a home stay!


Remya don't like to remember about the hostel which she stayed last month.'It was such a stupid place'. That is how she explained her hostel in T.Nagar. "Not only the hostel,but also the inmates were horrible. Some girls used to steal clothes...I lost my jeans - a brand new one" she complains.

In Chennai one can find ladies hostel in each nook and corner.Some specify for working class and some for students. For most of the women who come from outside the city, the baffling problem is to find out a good place to stay. Many 'new comers' depend on internet to find out a stay, mostly hostels.

Most of the websites about the hostels will have description worth to please one's mind and only after join the hostel,they would get its real picture.

'We did not have any idea about how to find a nice hostel, and nobody was here to help us, so from the internet we found a hostel which appeared as good place.But after joined here, we understood this is such a horrible place without even proper water facility. ' says Rekha, doing her internship with a hospital. 'They have mentioned in the website that 24 hours water supply and night security, but I didn't find any watchman yet in this hostel.' added she.

Most of the hostel rent starts at Rs 3000 for a month for a 4-5 people sharing room plus advance amount which depends upon the hostel. 'We are ready to pay the money, if we will get at least good food. This so-called sambar and half boiled chicken is hectic to have.' says Soumya about her hostel in Nungambakkam.

Hostels are providing rooms varying from single to five people room. Some have dormitory room with around ten people accommodated in. At glance most of the hostels look good with the attractive tag lines like ' hygienic and homely food', 'home away home'.

'When I saw the placard of an hostel,it was really attractive, said homely food,calm and quite place and the affordable price with branches all over Chennai.But when I went there,it looked like a tent with cardboard separation for each room without any proper roof.I wonder how people stay there' reminds Deepika about a hostel.

It does not mean that all the hostels are horrible.'The hostel which I stayed was good,with nice food and water but the owner was a weird kind.When a fan or light gets damage, we have to request him a hundred times to restore it,says Sathya about her previous hostel. 'Now I shifted to a house, so no worries' she smiles.

Only the ladies hostel have the problem is a relevant question in this context. 'Though there are mansions for men are plenty in the city,most of the time they will be roaming with friends, having outside food so they won't feel this much comfortless compared to us' opines Anitha, a student.

'If the government should implement strict rules on the hostels about the hygiene and food may be by making arrangements for monthly inspection,then the condition might go better. Now no rules like that and so people are adjusting to the pathetic conditions, as no other way for them.'says some hostelers.

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