Apartment for One
Living alone in Bangalore - the good, bad & ugly
Out of all the things I’m proud of, something that stands out the most is how I’ve always chosen a good location when it comes to wherever I’ve lived in Bangalore. Now the definition of a “good” location can vary for different people. For me, it’s usually a spot with easy access to eateries, salons, badminton courts and most importantly, public transportation (huge fan).
I don’t like to stay in the same place for more than a year so I’ve had my fair share of experiences with the housing market here. While not entirely pleasant, I’ve always wanted to write about my experiences with it while staying as honest as possible.
It’s been six months since I moved into my very own 1BHK in Brookfield, Bangalore. I pay 22k as rent, an admission which more often than not results in rolling eyes, a gaping mouth or a series of unwarranted advice. I am very well aware of the fact that I’m getting ripped off but then again with my list of conditions, there are only so many 1BHKs with great ventilation and pretty tiles that you can get.
I feel six months is a justified amount of time before I start writing about something like this. Be it any decisions really, once the initial excitement aka the honeymoon phase wears off, you get a much grounded perspective on how things really are.
I’m not going to lie, I enjoy the reaction I get from people when I say I stay alone. Mostly cause it’s hyped up to be such a brave thing when in reality, it really isn’t. It’s never a big deal, at first at least. Now as I get a good idea of what it is like to stay all by myself, there are some things I could reconsider.
But before going into that, let me first tell you what the progression of my living choices in Bangalore looked like. I spent the first couple of months of pure independence in a ladies PG at the heart of Marathahalli. I had a tiny room that could barely fit in a single cot and a study table for which I paid 12k a month. Given that this place offered relatively digestable food and decent internet speed, it was all I needed to settle in.
After about four months, two college friends and I decided to shift into a 3BHK apartment. We did the math and while the monthly cost for an apartment would be higher, it was a decision worth a try. We found a builder unit in a society where I lived in for a year. We paid 30k in rent out of which my share was 11k. Now while the apartment in itself had its own issues, the society was one beautiful place. I loved my room and the midnight walks I could take for hours and it’s something that I genuinely miss even today.
That one year I spent taught me a lot about what all goes into maintaining a flat. It also made me realise how important my space was for me and how I couldn’t stay in an environment where I didn’t feel completely free. That is when the idea of a 1BHK first crept in.
Now I will admit, the idea of setting everything up from scratch and being all by yourself was daunting. In fact, the first couple of times I threw this idea out was always a joke. I couldn’t really fathom taking it seriously cause honestly there was so much to think of! I’m not sure when the tables flipped but let’s just say one day I woke up and I knew this was exactly what I had to do. One particular quote that often stuck out to me those days was “be afraid and do it anyway”. And so the journey began.
I went into the infamous house hunting adventure knowing very well that I can get only 70% of my requirements and some compromises would be needed. The difficult part now was to now prioritise the so called list. Keeping the decent rent, nice-ish owner attributes aside, I was dead set on getting a place with good ventilation and sunlight. I didn’t care much for a society or a standalone building but I was insistent on a flat with ample space which was relatively near to office.
I scoured a lot of places over the two months I went house hunting. Ideally my favourite house location would’ve been Indiranagar or Koramangala (imagine the parties, phew) but office ended up being a bit too far. With the reputation Bangalore traffic currently has, that risk wasn’t worth the gamble. After a whole lot of disappointments later, I took my chance on this one shady broker I stumbled across on Facebook. I was this sad already, what’s the worst that could happen? And in a turn of fate and destiny, he took me to a house that would be the first home I’d have all to myself.
One of the most commonly asked question I get is how lonely does it get?
Here’s the thing. I’ve always enjoyed being by myself. Don’t get this mixed up with me not liking friends. Maybe it could be the hyper independence or the intense need of wanting things my way but I’ve noticed that I never really needed someone to not feel alone. Keeping that in mind, moving somewhere all by myself didn’t really make much of a difference than I thought it would. Sure, there have been bad days where I’ve wanted to vent but then again, most of my friends are just a call away. When the bad times pass and the venting is done, there’s nothing more that I love than cozying up within the walls I call my home.
Out of all the challenges I’ve faced so far, the biggest one has to do with food. It’s not entirely practical to cook three meals a day for one person and most cooks offer that service for a price that went beyond a budget for me. I ended up asking the aunty who works in the building to come home to cook thrice a week. She usually makes enough rotis and curry to last three meals and I used this arrangement to sort this issue out - for now atleast.
I never kept anyone for the cleaning. I didn’t really want to spend money on something I could do easily. I have mixed feelings about this. Does it get frustrating and tiring especially when you’re home after a long day of work? Yes. Do I also own a bunch of fancy cleaning equipments I absolutely love? ALSO YES.
There are a bunch of things I can mildly complain about this way. Sometimes i get annoyed about the garbage disposal arrangement other days I freak out about not having a place to take midnight walks. At the end of the day, all of these are just problems that aren’t too relevant to lose my mind over. Whenever I get too overwhelmed, I think of feeling I get each day when I wake up to my beautiful living room. I picked out a sofa that contrasts my yellow wall and beautiful Jaipuri cotton curtains that complements both (I went halfway across Bangalore to get those). On some days, when the sun’s just right the light falls just the right way to reflect off the walls to give it a small glow. And every time I see it, I let out a happy sigh.
I wouldn’t trade this for the world.
