This blog is co-authored by Samyuktha Sundararajan
House hunting as a Fellow can be tricky. It requires navigating not only the physical space of one’s environment but also several social dynamics. It requires endless dedication, perusing through housing sites and visiting places. It requires convincing people against all odds to rent you their apartment. Two women learned this the hard way when they landed in Hyderabad, excited to go to their host locations and even more eager to find a place they could call home. Because their host organisations were far apart, they initially decided to take this enormous task upon themselves. Little did they know the trials and tribulations they would go through. Yet, by trudging through the trenches, Samyuktha and Aarushi learned lessons they would carry for the rest of their lives.
—–
Samyuktha was practically jumping with joy. Her supervisor told her that a friend was moving out of his place and was willing to rent it immediately. Perfect! She was itching to move out of the room the host organisation had given her for two weeks while searching for housing. All she had to do was reach out to him and schedule a time to see the place. Easy peasy.
She was so incredibly grateful that she reached out to him right away. He texted back, saying he would certainly show her the place, but he was out of town for a few days. So, she waited. But she didn’t hear from him for a while.
So, she reached out to him again. But he didn’t respond. Nevertheless, she waited.
And waited.
She reached out to him again. This time, he read her message!
But he didn’t respond.
Still, she waited.
For many, many days, she reached out to him and waited. One fine evening, as she was catching a ride to a friend’s place, he finally called her and said that he was going to give the apartment to someone else.
And then he HUNG UP.
There are no words–none–to describe the shock she felt. She thought her housing was set. She thought she would just have to sign a lease. But alas! It was too good to be true.
What am I going to do now? she thought. She wasted so much time, and she only had a few days left before she would have to leave the room at the office.
Samyuktha felt stupid.
And so, the rat race began. Samyuktha snapped open her laptop and frantically typed in ‘NoBroker.in’. She shortlisted every suitable 1 or 2BKH she could find, to no avail. Many apartments had already been rented out; the owners just forgot to take down the listings. Others would ask her to visit but wouldn’t send an address. She tried multiple websites and called multiple owners. She was ghosted and rejected several times because she was an ‘unmarried woman’.
At the office, she slouched in her chair, hands covering her face, utterly defeated. Only 3 days left before she had to vacate her room. She HAD to think.
Think…
C’mon, think…….
THINK!!!
Samyuktha pulled out her phone and made one final call.
——–
Aarushi was determined to settle in quickly, unwilling to make house hunting more of a chore than it was. She started by browsing for nearby accommodations but couldn’t find any for a reasonable price. The area she stayed in was quite crowded and, therefore, pricey. It made no sense to look for an apartment there. She soon spotted a listing for PG and called them immediately. As soon as she heard from the caretaker that a bed was available, she got ready and headed out to see it.
The place wasn’t great, but it was enough! She had her necessities met, and she really thought she could adjust! Deciding to finalise the arrangement, she paid the security deposit and returned to the hotel room where she stayed for the time being.
She flopped onto the bed, done with the day and ready to relax. She felt the weight of her exhaustion pull on her eyelids, lulling her to sleep…
Riiiiiiinnnnnggggg!!!!
Her eyes shot open. Irritated, she squinted at the caller id and answered.
“Hello??”
“AARUSHI!!!!”
——–
After consoling Samyuktha, they decided that despite their distance, they would try to find a place together. They installed every housing app known to man and perused their length and breadth, shortlisting any suitable property. They phoned every eligible house owner from Moosapet to Secunderabad. Samyuktha contacted brokers. Aarushi sought the advice of colleagues. Samyuktha phoned all her contacts in Hyderabad. Aarushi narrowed down places where they could find properties. Yet, nothing worked!
On the night before Diwali, about 2 days away from the end of their mandatory accommodation, they decided to take a call. Aarushi suggested going to Dilsukhnagar on the advice of her colleagues and looking for properties there. They met up and roamed the streets, looking for To-Let boards and contacting the owners. One owner picked up and showed them around. But… the place was not only completely unfurnished, it also had a very narrow staircase that would make moving suitcases and furniture up 3 flights very difficult. Plus, there was paint splatter EVERYWHERE.
A second owner who had put up a board for a 2BHK was, in reality, renting out a 1BHK. So that was a waste of their time. They spotted independent apartment buildings, all very majestic in their appearance. Samyuktha so desperately wished that one of these gorgeous places would have an open spot. They would speak to all the watchmen and the residents but were quickly driven out.
The two were now disheartened and hungry. T’was the night before Diwali, after all. Maybe they shouldn’t have had their hopes up.
Maybe they should’ve given up.
Aarushi spotted another building, and the two decided it would be the last place they checked out. They spoke to the watch lady, who wasn’t aware of any listings in the apartment. Nevertheless, she said we could use the elevator (“an ELEVATOR,” they quietly shriek) and speak to the owner on the third floor. On their way up, Aarushi sighs, “With Hanuman-ji’s grace, I hope we get a place!”
Samyuktha chuckles halfheartedly.
As they step out, they immediately spot the landlord through the mesh door, watching TV. He notices them standing awkwardly before him and asks what’s up. “Is there a place for rent in this building?” Samyuktha asks. “Do you need a place?” he replies. He invites them inside and listens as they introduce themselves and explain their situation.
“I can give you this place; I am moving upstairs anyway,” he says.
Aarushi and Samyuktha tried not to let their emotions get the best of them. The place was undoubtedly beautiful. It was spacious and cosy, with two humongous king-sized beds with pretty headrests. And to top it off, the landlord was moving. Aarushi asked what the rent was. The landlord priced it at 20k. Samyuktha asked if they would leave a few of their appliances for them. He conceded, but only after raising the rent to 25k a month. Aarushi gently negotiated it down to 24k. He agreed!
They nearly finalised the agreement, but Aarushi insisted they discuss it with their parents before signing. The landlord nodded and asked to exchange numbers. Typing his number into her phone, Aarushi asked for his name.
“It’s Maruti.”
“MARUTI?!” Aarushi gasped! That’s Hanuman’s name!
Bidding their goodbyes, the two left the building overjoyed, hugging each other and unable to let go. Although neither was religious, Aarushi had a particular connection to Hanuman and was very moved by the sequence of events. Samyuktha, being very agnostic, was nevertheless surprised by the coincidence. Excited to finally be able to call a place home, they decided to go to a restaurant to celebrate. While calling an Uber, they realised that the locality they were in was named Hanumannagar–ANOTHER coincidence! Sitting in the Uber, Aarushi decided to go to a Hanuman temple to pay her respects as soon as possible. Lo again! They spotted one just as they were exiting the locality. Aarushi and Samyuktha looked at each other and smiled.
This tiring adventure taught the two women many things. It taught them to be proactive and not rely solely on others to find a place. To be determined and resilient – to scour through listings regardless of how tiring a task could be. To be resourceful and use less conventional or modern methods to find housing. It also taught them to have a little faith and hope everything will work out for the best.
They hope this serves as a guide for future Fellows who will be in their situation in the future. Finding a suitable place for yourself shouldn’t be easy because it will be your home. Have the courage to take the plunge…and maybe hope for a divine intervention.
