DNA : Queuing Up Genesis : July 10, 2007

Queuing Up

Midnight birthday parties, gossip sessions that last till dawn and the everlasting friendships are all an integral part of hostel life. But does it all start out being hunky dory? What happens when you land in another city for the first time? How friendly is Mumbai to outstation students? Even though a simple net search will list 40 odd hostels in the city, it's not advisable for an outstation student to enroll into one without doing some research.

KEEP IN MIND
Hostels may sometimes be used as places for criminal dealings, drug peddling and other antisocial activities. So always enquire about the hostel's reputation before-hand and check it out personally. "Some Nigerian students have been arrested in drug-related cases, so we don't admit Nigerian students," says Dilip Kadam, clerk, International Students' Hostel (ISH), Churchgate.

Dr P C Warke, warden, ISH, affirms that and says, "All other nationalities are welcome." Though this blanket judgement might not be true, it does provide insights into what kind of activities might take place in the room right next to yours. Yohanna Oshodi, a Nigerian student at the Mumbai University(MU) stays in a rented accommodation with friends because he couldn't get hostel accommodation anywhere. "Even finding a place for rent was a big hassle," he says, finally having found shelter at a friend's relative's place.

FACTORS TO CONSIDER
In a hostel you'll be sharing everything from your room to even the bathroom. So it's better for you to check all the facilities. "Even if the hostel is cleaned several times in a day, the fact remains that about twenty people on a floor are using the same bathroom, and that used to make me very uneasy," says Pallavi Basu, a former resident of Savitribai Phule Hostel (SPH). SPH is reputed to have the best hostel facilities and if a student has something to complain about in that situation, the situation in the other hostels can only be imagined. Very few hostels have good facilities and most of them observe minimum amount of hygiene; while the popular hostels like SPH or Telang Memorial usually have a long line of applicants which drags the process even further. Hostel hunting is as difficult if not more, than getting admitted into the college of your choice MU's statistics unit says that 80 international students came to Mumbai to study in the previous academic year. Since the number of international applications is not very high, the ISH is also open to Indian nationals in case the seats go vacant. Information about the number of NRIs and outstation students is unavailable, says the Statistics unit of MU.

Many colleges have a hostel attached, but some of them are exclusive for either boys or girls. In such cases students are forced to look outside.

'C' road in Churchgate is home to four hostels-The Government College Hostels, Telang Memorial Hostel, Superintendent Telang Smarak Girls' Hostel, the International Students' Hostel; and Marine Drive houses the famous SPH. Apart from these there are five other University hostels in Mumbai (see BOX).

The Government College's hostel has 287 single and 10 double seated rooms. The total accommodation for students is 307 seats. These are distributed among the constituent colleges and institutes as under:

College/ Institute Quota

Sydenham College 130

The Government Law College 62

The Institute of Science 20

The Sydenham Institute of Management 20

Elphistone College Mumbai 50

State Institute for Administrative Career 20

Freedom Fighter Sons 05

WHAT YOU NEED TO GET IN?
The candidate has to be a bonafide student. Students engaged in part-time work with a view to supplementing their income may be considered for admission, but, students doing part-time courses will not. Applications from medical students and other students doing professional courses such as nursing, physiotherapy, etc., will not ordinarily be considered for admission. Applications from students whose parents and homes are in Mumbai will not ordinarily be considered for admission.

CHECK LIST OF DOCUMENTS NEEDED:
1. Recommendation from the concerned principal/ director of the college/institute(for new admissions)
2. Medical certificate
3. Caste certificate (if the candidate belongs to a backward community)
5. Birth certificate (for PhD students)
6. Attested copy of identity card (for new students)
7. Attested copy of marksheet
8. Attested copy of admission fee receipt

HOSTEL NAME AND ADDRESS TELEPHONE CAPACITY NAME OF THE WARDEN (STUDENTS)
1. International Students Hostel, 022-22044780 123 Dr P C Warke 'C' Road, Churchgate, Mumbai-400020
2. Jugonnath Sunkersett Hall Hostel, 022-22040986 172 Dr D Harichandan 'B' Road, Churchgate , Mumbai-400020
3. Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil Boys Hostel, 022-26526683 80 Dr T R Ghoble Vidyanagari, Kalina, Santacruz (E), Mumbai-400 098
4. Maharshi Dhondo Keshav Karve Girls 022-26526304 50 Dr Priscilla Paul Hostel Vidyanagari, Kalina, Santacruz (E), Mumbai-400 098
5. Pandit Ramabai Girls Hostel, 022-26527963 16 Dr Priscilla Paul Vidyanagari, Kalina, Santacruz (E), Mumbai-400 098
6. Savitribai Phule Girls Hostel, 022-26526223 77 Urvashi Pandya Vidyanagari, Kalina, Santacruz (E), Mumbai-400 098

Savitridevi Phule Mahila Chatralaya and Telang Smarak Girls Hostel Students (girls) of colleges and institutions affiliated to the Mumbai University and JJ Schools of Arts will be eligible for admission these hostels. Students of other educational institutions will also be admitted depending on special circumstances and the number of vacant seats available.

Preference for admission will be given to students in the following order:

Undergraduate students already residing in the hostel

 Undergraduate fresh applicants

 Postgraduate students No student shall be allowed to stay in the hostel for more than five academic years under ordinary circumstances. Any resident, who fails to appear at an examination or obtains ATKT, is liable to lose her seat in the hostel.

CHOOSING:
Student preferences also depend on individual budgets. University recommended hostels can charge you anything from Rs 2,500 upwards per term (for example the Government Hostel charges Rs 2,650 and the SPH charges Rs 2,750) which would include the room rent, electricity, water and the charges for using the facilities. Mess charges are usually separately billed to each student depending on individual consumption. Since it's possible to secure admission in a decent hostel with a budget of even Rs 3, 000 per term, go in for the more expensive ones only if it's the last choice.

Once you've narrowed down on the hostel of your choice, and it turns out to be a decent place, then college life becomes doubly fun. For Anjali and Aarti Sinha, who came from Bihar to pursue their studies, "Living in Telang was a great experience. Churchgate, is home to a lot of outstation students, so you get to meet people from different backgrounds." Hostels have their own restrictions about timings, use of mobile phones, visitors, etc. But after the initial hue and cry, students get accustomed to that too. Vandana Verma, from New Delhi was staying at the Telang hostel while pursuing her graduation in Mumbai also looks back fondly at her hostel days and remembers the fun times more than the restrictions. "Many students have a problem with the strict timings or the restriction on the use of cell phones, but all this is what makes up hostel life. Many people don't really go by the rules, but if there were no rules to begin with, what would you bend," she says with a chuckle.

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