Kem Cho, Readers! 🙏
As the 1974 Bollywood classic taught us, “Roti, Kapda aur Makaan” are life’s bare essentials. Today, let’s dive into Roti and Makaan! 🍲🏠
A few years ago, while grinding at Finnacle Institute for the Finbridge Programme, I had to move to Surat. Packed my OOTDs 🧳, but finding a roof over my head (Makaan) and food to survive (Roti) was a whole new quest.
Cooking? Life skill, sure. But after 10-12 hours of brain-frying lectures and practice, who had the energy for chopping onions and frying them or washing dishes? 🧅❌ So, I opted for a PG. Let’s just say…it was an experience. 😅
Living the PG Life in Surat
I stumbled upon this PG in Surat offering 3, 4, and 5-sharing options. The 3-sharing deal caught my eye—it was just ₹8,500 per month! 💸
The rent included some pretty cool perks: 100 Mbps unlimited Wi-Fi (hello, Netflix binges! 🎥📶), a bed with a mattress (thin enough to qualify as yoga gear 🧘♂️), a cupboard (aka storage for chaos), and electronics like a washing machine, fridge, and geyser (luxury alert 🚿). They even threw in housekeeping and kitchen appliances—because apparently, I'm expected to cook! 😂
Food wasn’t included in the rent. 🍛 Lunch and dinner cost an extra ₹7,500 per month.
Surviving the PG Hustle!
In November 2021, I moved into a PG, marking my first-ever stint living alone. Cue all the emotions—missing mom, dad, and the whole family, especially during those epic family get-togethers I only saw on Video calls. 📱🥺
Every time I ate PG food, I couldn’t help but think, “Mom’s Paneer Butter Masala and grandma’s Bajre ka Rota deserve Masterchef stars!” 🍲✨ Let’s just say, appreciation for home-cooked meals hit an all-time high.
It was an emotional rollercoaster 🎢 - But I dealt with this only for 5-6 months. While that stay felt like a blink for me, it’s a marathon for students living like this for 18-25 months. 🏃♂️ Now, living in a local PG comes with its own challenges. Let’s dive into them! 😄
Food (The ultimate curse) : The biggest struggle of staying in a local PG? The food! 🍛 The rotis often came with a side of atta coming out, the dal was essentially flavored water 💧, and let’s not forget the paneer tikka day—more theekha (spicy) than real paneer. A culinary rollercoaster you never signed up for!
Tel Zyada Aloo Kam!! … Miss you Maa ke haath ka Khaana !!!!!
Unhygienic Adventures: I started waking up early every day—no, not because Finnacle turned me into a disciplined robot 🤖, but because I wanted to be the first to use the bathroom and escape that PG as quickly as possible. 🏃♂️ The kitchen? Let’s just say it wasn’t exactly sparkling clean. It became the official residence of Raja, Mohan, and Kiran—our beloved pet mice 🐭. They were living the high life while I was just trying to survive the chaos! 😅
Every morning - Escape the Dirt…
No and some more No’s - In my PG, the rules were like a never-ending list of no's. One of the top ones: be back by 9PM, no exceptions. If my lectures or practice ran late, well, tough luck – I’d either crash at a friend’s place (if I had one 😅) or end up sleeping in the classroom like a true academic nomad. 🛌 And don't even think about inviting friends over! If you wanted to study with someone, congratulations – you're studying alone. 🙄 No outsiders allowed in the PG. It felt like I was living in an episode of Big Boss, but without the cool cameras. 😂
The rules I received before joining.
Customer Experience Takes a Backseat and Sarita Didi Runs the Show - The PG owner was all about cutting costs – customer experience? Who needs it when you're running a "profitable" PG, right? He hired the cheapest housekeeping staff he could find, and it showed. The housekeeper would sweep the floor, but it was more like she was just moving dirt around. Mopping? Oh, that was a luxury – maybe four times a month, if you were lucky. Who’s checking anyway? And washing utensils? Well, that was strictly a "before 4 PM" job. After that, if you wanted clean dishes, good luck. 😅 Narayan Murthy would probably have a meltdown if he saw her working just three hours a day. She didn’t really seem to hear our complaints, and the PG owner? He'd pick up the phone once a week and say, “I’m finding new staff.” Fast forward three years, and I go visit another academy student at the same PG, and guess what? Sarita didi was still there, doing the exact same thing! 😂 Three years to hire a housekeeper? At this rate, we've probably created more jobs than the whole of the USA. 🌎🙄
No Recreational activities - Over the weekend, my plans were pretty much set – binge a web series, stare at the fan for hours, or go for a walk. 🌬️ That was the extent of excitement in the PG. The same bland food, the same monotonous routine – it was like living in a loop of boredom. 😴 Going out for a day felt like the only escape, but how many times can you do that before your wallet starts crying? 💸 So, yeah, it was just one long, never-ending episode of Life 🙄
P.S - The cupboard taught me how to be a minimalist.
Stop Cribbing…What’s the Solution?
So recently I came across these premium Co - living Spaces like Flent, Stanza Living, Uniliv and Your Spaces. This changed my entire thought about a PG and Co Living Industry. Lets cater each point one by one.
Mess? More Like a Feast Fit for Royalty! 🍽️👑 - Picture this: You stroll into a place where food tastes like it’s been made by Master Chef winners... but it’s not your mom's kitchen. 🍳✨ Forget worrying about adapting to the taste of bland mess food—this is a buffet that’s practically made for you.
Here’s the plot twist: No mice 🐭, no stray crumbs, and no question of whether that’s paneer or something else. Everything is made in a sparkling clean kitchen with chefs rocking those stylish gloves like it’s a fashion statement. 🧤
And get this—no strict time slots like your PG mess. Forget about that rush to catch lunch before it turns into a sad salad! 🥗 Here, the timings are flexible and if you’re too comfy to leave your room (we’ve all been there), they’ll deliver it straight to you like it’s a five-star restaurant. 🚴♂️🍔
All the perks, none of the mess. Now, that’s what I call delicious innovation! 😋🎉
Housekeeping Goals: A Clean Room Without the Drama! 🧹✨ - Imagine this: You wake up, stroll out for breakfast, and BAM—your room is magically spotless. ✨ Every morning, it’s like the cleaning fairy waved a wand while you were munching on your toast. 🍞 The sweeping, the mopping, the bathroom—each gleaming brighter than the sun itself! ☀️🛁
But wait, it gets better. The staff has to send pictures of the cleaned rooms to their managers for approval. So, you know your space is really spotless—like “Mom-level clean” every single day. 📸🧼 Common areas? Just as pristine. It’s like you’re living in a luxury hotel, minus the surprise towel animals. 🐍🐒
But... uff... there’s just one small downside. I’ll miss my dear Raja, Mohan, and Kiran, and yes, our beloved Sarita Didi! 😭
No Restrictions - In co - living spaces there are minimal restrictions if I have a class running beyond 10pm its fine I can enter using the biometrics at every entry. If parents wish they can have the record of whether their kid is inside the living premises or not so safety isnt a concern. If I want a few of my friends to study with me the coliving has a space for working and studying so those spaces come for the rescue.
Sundays Just Got an Upgrade: Fun, Friends, and Foosball! 🎨🎮🍭
Picture this: It’s Sunday, and boredom almost strikes... until you remember you’re in the ultimate chill zone. 💆♂️ Instead of doom-scrolling, you’ve got colivers ready to vibe with you and a lineup of activities that could rival a carnival! 🎪
Feel artsy? Try pottery (yes, like Ghost but less messy). 🎭 Or channel your inner Picasso with painting—because who doesn’t want to accidentally create “modern art”? 🎨🖌️ Not into that? Dive into audio-video games and become the undisputed Mario Kart champ. 🎮🍄
And let’s not forget the classics—pool, foosball, and table tennis are always there to settle those “friendly” rivalries. (Pro tip: Losing gracefully is overrated.) 🎱🏓
Oh, and festivals? They go all out! Gujiya on Diwali? Check. 🪔 Colours on Holi? Double check. 🌈 Even Christmas gets its fair share of jingles and cake (no raisins, promise). 🎅🍰
Boredom, who? Sundays here are basically weekend goals with extra laughter and a side of competitive spirit. 🏆😂
So if Co Living spaces are so Good why is 98% of this market flooded with Local PG’s
The co-living market in India is like the wild west of accommodation—98% of it is run by independent operators who are the OG hustlers of the rental game. These folks are usually owners of a 3-4 BHK house or, in some cases, tenants themselves. They break the house into sharing rooms (2, 3, or 4 people per room), charge each occupant separately, and focus entirely on two things: cutting costs and keeping occupancy at 100%—because empty rooms mean empty pockets. 🛌💸
The Real Deal About Demand
India’s co-living demand mostly comes from students and young professionals, and these folks are not exactly swimming in cash. Think about a 25-year-old earning ₹40,000 a month at their first job. They can’t exactly shell out ₹30-40k just on stay and electricity—it’s like spending your entire salary on a sleepover at a fancy hotel. 😅
Now, picture a student from Almora, arriving in the city of dreams, Mumbai, with a backpack full of hope and a student loan breathing down their neck. They’re not going to burden their farmer dad with a ₹40,000 rent bill. Instead, they’d rather tough it out in a cramped PG with two fans, one creaky bed, and the smell of Maggi wafting through the air. 🍜📚
Tier 2 & Tier 3 Realities
Here’s the kicker: professional co-living is limited to 5-8 big cities, leaving students in Kota (hello, coaching capital!) or professionals in Tier 2 & 3 cities to fend for themselves in the unorganized jungle of PGs. The demand is huge, but the supply? A smorgasbord of mismatched furniture, shared bathrooms, and a landlord yelling at you for using too much Wi-Fi. 📡😂
So, while the idea of co-living is cool and modern, the reality is that most people prefer a no-frills, low-cost setup, even if it means sharing a room with someone who snores like a tractor. 🚜💤
Bottom Line: The unorganized co-living market thrives because it’s cheap, flexible, and fits the Indian wallet. And until professional players can deliver affordable, scalable solutions, the PG uncle and his army of independent operators will rule the roost! 🏠✨
So The End of the Story Is ….
Living in a PG was like surviving on a reality show—complete with food challenges, hygiene nightmares, and enough drama to make Ekta Kapoor jealous. 📺 But hey, it taught me resilience (and how to dodge mice). Co-living spaces, on the other hand, are like stepping into a Netflix original: modern, exciting, and with a plot twist of luxury (Ye kon hai jisne mudd ke Pooh ko nahi dekha?!!)
That said, while co-living sounds dreamy, it’s mostly reserved for those with deeper pockets or aspirational parents ready to splurge. The rest of us? We’ll continue battling PG uncles, missing Sarita Didi’s half-hearted sweeping, and munching on Maggi at midnight. 🍜 For Tier 1 cities, co-living will remain a niche luxury—something like avocado toast: trendy, but not everyone’s breakfast. 🥑🍞
So, to all my Tier 2 and Tier 3 friends, embrace your budget PGs, build some character (and immunity), and who knows—maybe one day, you’ll own a co-living empire yourself! 💼✨
Till we meet again—Aavjo! And don’t forget, phir padhaar jo!
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