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ShareThe city has lured many single, young women with dreams of making it big. But their baggage gets heavier with bouts of loneliness, snide remarks, gypping and a thousand questions about graveyard shifts. The toughest part is finding a place to call home
Don't holler that you're living alone
I live in a hostel and work with a private firm as an Account Manager. The most arduous task for a single woman is finding decent accommodation in the city. I waited a good five months for vacancy at this hostel; I had to put up at a relative's place till then.
In the hostel, I have to share my wardrobe and other stuff with my roommate. All talk about nightlife in Mumbai is gibberish. There is zilch night life for single women, especially if you stay in a hostel. The 10pm deadline at hostels is the party pooper.
You have to inform the warden in advance if you're staying out for the night. We are also not allowed to get friends to the hostel. I hang around with the few friends I have at their place or some restaurant.
You end up having a totally different lifestyle than you imagined when you live alone or as a paying guest. Joohi Mehrotra, 30 Juhu
Smart Tip
Ask someone to refer a place to stay or take up a house in an area you are familiar with and is close to office. Hostels are the best bet. Meals are not a pain there. And don't tell everyone that you live alone.
The place is safe, but I have to stay alert
My job with a publication house requires late nights of me, so a hostels and PG accommodations are out of question.
Initially, I put up at a PG, but my landlord and I were forever locking horns over my late arrivals.
Being single comes in the way of finding a great accommodation. A colleague's reference helped my landlord overcome his initial scepticism about renting me the place. This place is absolutely safe, but I'm alert all the time.
My nightlife is great, especially on weekends. I have absolutely no restrictions on having friends over. I cook when I feel like otherwise if I miss home cooked food I head straight to a friends' place. Aprana Pasalkar, 32 Lokhandwala
Smart Tip
Three tips for single women -- trust no one, trust no one, trust no one.
Boys will try to take you for a ride
I share a flat with another girl and work in an IT firm. Finding a house was not difficult because I got an acquaintance to hunt a place for me. I didn't have to run around looking for a place or deal with brokers.
The accommodation is good and the landlord is a nice person. Despite that, nothing compares to being home. As a single woman, I don't give away much about myself to anyone.
Being single has its advantages, especially when it comes to enjoying the nightlife. I freak out with friends. Though male friends aren't allowed at my place, girl pals are okay. I often ear out and my savings, obviously, are meagre. Veena Verma, 29 Andheri
Smart Tip
Girls living alone are more prone to be taken for a ride by the person they are committed to. Be very careful before trusting anyone. Dependency of any sort, emotional or financial, is bound to be crippling.
Neighbourhood aunties bitch about me
I opted to rent a place and live alone after a particularly bad incident as a PG. It was difficult to find an accommodation and agents used to tell me that societies don't want a single woman living in their midst.
Working as a PRO of an entertainment firm, I am required to wear modern outfits. I often change my modest clothing in the office because I don't think my office outfits will go down well in the society that I live.
Even in a city like Mumbai, a single woman is seen with suspicion. Old aunties in the society give me suspicious looks and make all kinds of stories,while my neighbour has forbidden her husband from talking to me. There is no restriction as such about inviting friends home, but I avoid it. I don't want to get into unnecessary complications in the society. Jia Chowdhary, 22 Bandra
Smart Tip
Ensure through different sources that the place you are choosing for accommodation is in a decent and safe area.
