Delhi University’s North Campus came to life again on Thursday with students returning to college after nearly two years of online education.
The excitement of coming back was evident as students took selfies, met friends for the first time, and toured nooks and corners of campus they had only heard about but had never explored.
Several outside students can be seen attending classes with suitcases in tow, eager to find accommodation after attending their classes, at the short notice they had to turn to the university. Many such students said that finding affordable paying guest accommodation for them to secure their admission in DU was proving to be more difficult than the task of getting an almost perfect score, noting how landlords had helped the sudden spike by increasing rents. redeemed.
The problem of finding affordable rental accommodation has increased with students of all three years of undergraduate study looking for housing at the same time. Saurabh, a first-year student of Jharkhand’s Kirori Mal College, who came with two backpacks and a suitcase in tow on his first day of college, said, “I looked online and found the room prices were too high so I decided to come Delhi and then look for a place to stay. However, I have found that everything is even more expensive here as there are very few beds or rooms left. Most of the owners of paying guest accommodation have added more beds to their rooms making it too cramped. They are also charging a deposit to ensure that no one goes out in a few days. ,
For those who have already found a place to live, it was all about getting back to class or taking pictures on the sun-kissed lawns of their respective colleges. “Our class attendance was over 50% and it was great to see the faces, which we have seen online everyday through the pandemic,” said Charvi, a second year student of Ramjas College.
Her friend Chitra, who met Charvi for the first time despite being her friend for over a year, said, “My sister who studies in Hindu College, never stops taking her DU days. She used to tell me that DU was an experience that would give me a different perspective on life. Sitting in my bedroom behind a computer screen was not the DU experience I signed up for. ,
Christopher, an international student from Sudan who came to DU to study botany, said, “I knew the campus was going to reopen so I came here a month ago and have been staying in a hostel since then. I had come to see my college but no one was around then. Today it is full of people and I hope to make some friends.
The sudden reopening of college and housing troubles have prompted parents to help their children settle down on the first day of college. Nupur Saha who was waiting outside St Stephen’s College for her son to finish the day’s classes said, “My son took admission in 2020 but today is his first day of college. We did not choose to provide college accommodation due to the pandemic and there are no air-conditioned rooms here either. We have got accommodation for him where he will live comfortably.”