Road to \'self-discovery\' ends at landlord\'s door

CHANDIGARH: The thought of staying outside the city and being \'independent\' excites most teenagers awaiting a \'life of their dreams\'. Alas! The road to self-discovery isn\'t that easy. It involves forsaking mommy\'s food, constant nudging from landlords, sharing room with a stranger and a lot of explaining.



\"\"Yeh tumhara ghar nahi hai (this is not your house).\" Perhaps, landlords say this time and again to the new-youngsters-in-town for a reality check. Students chasing faraway dreams have no option but to keep patience and stay within the limits set by their landlords,\" says Anita Pandav, who stays as a PG in Sector 16.



\"Things that we use to take for granted back home have become rare luxuries today. We are not allowed to play loud music after 8pm, even if it\'s someone\'s birthday at the PG,\" she says, adding that the restrictions do not end there. \"I cannot even ask my brother to visit me at the PG as it is not allowed by the landlord,\" Anita adds.



Despite charging Rs 4,500, the house owners do not provide us hygienic food and laundry service in the hostel, she laments.



Speaking against similar restrictions being put by house owners, Preeti Saini, student putting up in a Sector 15 house, says, \"We are not allowed to call friends over even during exams when one wants to have group studies. If we reach the hostel after 8pm, the landlord locks the main gate and tells us to come back in the morning.\" Preeti also feels that students are often over-charged for basic facilities. \"I need to pay extra for the electricity bill since it is not included in the monthly rent. This, despite the fact that I can barely manage to wash my clothes due to scarcity of water. If we ever dare to question the landlord, he just does not entertain any sort of discussion,\" Preeti says, adding that she is made to pay a month\'s rent despite serving a 15-day notice in case of vacating the accommodation. Another engineering student, Nidhi Verma, has been facing similar problems. \"Students face a number of problems due to too much interference of the landlords. The constant nudging also takes a toll on my studies. I\'m putting up with two other girls in a room that has a worn-out carpet and dilapidated windows,\" she says. With no geyser facility even during the winter season, I have to live in the constant fear of getting sick and missing my classes, Nidhi says, adding that she had deposited Rs 2,000 as security at the time of finalizing the PG.



\"In exchange, the landlord had assured me that I would be provided \"homely\" atmosphere, good food and a well-furnished room. However, I feel betrayed,\" she says. Are the city landlords listening?
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