‘Humme
samman nahi samanata chahiye
This phrase echoed in my head, on my way to my
hostel, after attending the screening of ‘In her words’ a film by Annie Zaidi on women writing in India and discussion ‘being
woman writing woman’. I was accompanied by one of my juniors whose hostel deadline
was 9:00 pm. It was around 9:30 pm. No sooner had we got off from the auto than
she rushed to her hostel.
It’s been a month since Jamia Millia Islamia has
been in news for its recent girls’ hostel diktaks. Letter that lead to this,
said girls would no longer have their late nights, which girls were permitted before
–though the number was laughingly two. A few of my friend stay in Jamia Hostel
and seeing them I know how difficult it is to live there. They give you good food,
washing machine and security but freedom.
What pushed me to type this was my own tryst with
university hostel. I am not a resident of jamia Hostel and I am extremely glad
about the fact. But this feeling was not the same, a year ago when I did not
get the Jamia hostel. It seemed I was never meant for the campus hostel life.
Four years back when I got into Delhi University, however I couldn’t take the
admission and stayed back in Lucknow because I could not find accommodation- it
sounds silly. But it happened to me. A year back when I got into AJKMCRC, Jamia
Millia Islamia, I did not get the university hostel again and therefore I
shifted to a private hostel located in Jamia Nagar only. I felt bad that I did
not get hostel again and past memories haunted.
All this feeling went last semester when I stared
enjoying my freedom or rather acclaiming it. I was working with one
organization .I used to go to the place after college hours around 6:00 pm
which meant that I would not reach hostel before 10:00 or 10:30 pm.I came along
with my male colleague late night.
It was at that time I realized how blessed I was not
to get Jamia hostel .What a pain in head it would be to write application for
your late night entries and if your late nights exceeded than what prescribed
by provost, then your local guardians would be called. They would be asked that
your person roams late night in the city and comes late. She is of loose character.
Your parents would be called and you would get some morality overdosed words.
These things have become cliché as I write them again and again. This is
happening in Delhi. It’s not just this university but feminist colleges who raise rhetoric
and toast on feminism in college hours become patriarchs as the sun sets and
ask women students to please forget feminism after the sun goes down .As if
feminism reduces to nothingness as night falls on the planet. This has been a
problem always; a woman never had access to decide what is good for her. Her
good is defined by somebody else’s fear and guardianship.
I live in a private hostel in Jamia Nagar, we don’t
have security guards who stand like lords of hotel, we do not have a warden ,it
is run by a couple . We have two adolescent boys who bring us food and other
things we require. We are not required to sign any attendance. Obviously there
is timing, 10:30 pm is the maximum limit and if you inform owner it can extend
to even 12:00 midnight as well. Also there is no red tapism where you need sign
from somebody. This doesn’t mean that we are not secure here. I would like to
add that this is ghetto and people call it down town. I hardly can count incidents
where I was afraid while walking down lanes in the night.
Because of this flexible hostel, I enjoy my days in Delhi.
For a person, who hardly made friends in
her hometown, or went for movies with friends and preferred staying in home apart from her school, college,
internship and trainings etc for her , it is something new and adventurous. I
started loving roads .I want to stay way and explore what this city has to
offer. No matter Often it is just
gruesome traffic, but never mind. I can go to Indian Habitat, for movies, for
theatres and dine out late in night. Women in my hostel can stay in a friend’s place
and can invite their female friends for night but they have to pay Rs 150.Thus
people often avoid it.
My hostel’s balcony door remains open and my room
remains open as me and my roommate sleep. Even in my house we couldn’t keep
doors open and sleep carefree .It’s amazing. Its great place to live, we only
worry about food and sometimes all the petty fights that happen. That’s it.
So the grass is greener on the other side, as every
coin has two sides. It’s not win-win situation. Living in a private hostel is
bit tough when it comes to food, you have to cook and clean on your own,
university hostel gives you food. The biggest question,I have to answer every
day is the food question, ever since I came to Delhi, after doing college for
9- 5 ,its very difficult to cook. All the development remains in concealment
until you have food to eat. People generally get angry with me or complain that
I don’t stay in canteen to talk and chill out. Dude I have to go back cook,
clean and rest. I can’t chill out.
But overall comparing with the university hostel, I
am glad and better off.Infact it should have been opposite. As university it
should have been gender friendly. First of all they don’t easily give hostel.
Those who get, they get in the late October ,by the time half of the semester is already done and
once they get into the hostel, they have to be in the hostel before 8:00 pm for
nobody but for their own good.
But university should think and pause why one of its
students is happy that she did not get in to the hostel. This university is not
private university for profit. Its central university symbol of a welfare state
that we were once.
It is easy to restrict woman’s movement in society rather than making a society where it is easier for a woman to move. As I write this ,Indian Express’s article is floating and is being shared on my facebook’s
newsfeed it states that the University has send a letter to woman’s panel in which
the administration assures that they are working for the gender equal hostel
laws. Gives some hope.
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