PG for NG in Bangalore

PG 1

View from 6th floor, Spectra Cypress

For few days after my joining, Mu-Sigma made me stay in Spectra Cypress Apartments at Kundalhalli Gate. The address was mailed to me long before joining. And I was given a 14 days time to find my own place to live. Within a few days, I shifted to a PG in AECS Layout. Finding a PG in Bangalore is easy, but finding a good PG is tough. I was habitual of Pune. It is preferable (and cheaper) taking a BHK in Pune. In Bangalore, flats are costly. My PG was providing me
1) Food (which is not suitable for north Indians at all)
2) Wi-Fi Internet (and the signal strength was almost zero. Somehow, Google home page opened in 2 hours)
3) Attached bathroom (for a combo room of 4 guys)
4) Promising private cup-board (which I didn't get till I was there)

So, though I was paying for all these, I didn't get profit of any. I had to pay separately for lunch, dinner in restaurants and internet connection of my own (10Mbps, 50 GB FUP, Rs 999 per month).

PG 2

Hall in PG 2

Within a month, I found a better PG in Kundalhalli colony. The new PG owner charged a little more, but I had a small singlet room of my own, attached bathroom, hall shared by another room, TV (with cable) and internet connection with better signal strength. The other room (for sharing hall) was occupied by 3 college boys (there was a college nearby named CMRIT). So, It was sort of college-like environment when I was a BE in singlet and SEs were in triplet. Here, two of these boys were FEs and one was SE. But these FEs had no fear to that SE like in AIT it used to be (we AITians are proud of our ragging-traditions). So overall, I loved this place. These boys also shifted here the day I shifted. After a few days, one evening, few SEs from college came in the PG (this building had 4 floors with 16 residents per floor, almost all of them being FEs of the same college and few being SEs). Those boys came and sat in my hall with that other SE friend of theirs who lived aside me. They all decided to rag the FEs.

Soon after some time, the hall had about 6-7 FEs standing in tashan and the SEs trying to break off their ego. My door was open that moment and I was sitting on my chair making a pencil sketch. I paused for a moment and put my chair near my door enjoying the view. (They all knew I am a BE, and all used to call me Bhaiya. None of those SEs had that vigour as AITians have. Just giving a try (or say 'fight maar rahe the' in AIT's lingo) to rag. And the FE's, half awake, half slept, yawning, standing loose were reluctant to listen. It seemed to me as if SEs were being ragged. An FE yawning? What a shame to an SE. One of the SEs invited me to sit on the sofa in the hall "Arey bhaiya, wahan kyu baithe ho. Aaiye na". I nodded in no with a smile but then one of the FE did something which was forbidden in AIT if you are in front of a senior, 'taking cell phone out of the pocket, without a call AND without prior permission'.

After I became Mr. fresher of AIT in 2008, I was ragged enormously, the entire year, both semesters. And when I became SE, I indulged in this act of POP (as known in AIT) to just a limit. I did some entertaining ragging in my SE (entertaining to both, ragger and raggee). Today, those ragged by me are BEs and placed in few of the finest firms :). And I left ragging in TE and BE. Now, this FE instigated me. This cell phone was limit. And then, that night became the AIT night for those all FEs. And the SEs just kept looking. I made them do all AIT formations (including maharaja, cliff-hanger, namaaz, aarti, murga etc). And then they repeated in echo as asked "Jo garv se ragging dete hain, wo studd ban jate hain. Ragging se bach ke bhagne wale C*** hote hain".

Flat 1
Just after 12 days of my shift to this PG, one day I was looking at yammer in ITPL. There was a post regarding a 3BHK in Prestige Palms apartments (where I live now) looking for a flatmate. I approached the guys and saw the flat. It was heaven. I have never seen such a good flat. It was grand, and so was the rent. In total 32K. The 3 other tenants (and my current flatmates) were as follows
1) Vishwender Dalal - Delhi ka Jat, Ramaiah College, Mu-Sigma (Nick: Mighty Raju). I call him 'Bade Bhaiya'. He has a well built body. There was a time when this rich spoiled used to prepare for Mr. Bangalore
2) Naveen Mahto - Jharkhand ka Kurmi, Ramaiah College, Mu-Sigma (Nick: Mallu). I call him Muls. Full-time smoker and complete Bihari by attitude.
3) Ashwini - Bihari, Ramaiah College, some civil-engineering company (Nick: (None)). I call him 'Mote bhai'. The fatso of our flat and unmarried uxorious (or say poor pussywhipped). Nice at heart.

Overall, I loved this flat (and the flatmates). Me and Dalal wanted singlets (I have to make physics video lectures in silence. But why Dalal?) Naveen and Ashwini wanted to share the room. So the rent was divided as 9-9-7-7 respectively (plus electricity, internet, water, food, maid). So, At least 15K per month was to be spent on basic living. But after that, there was no expense. It was near my company. So, there was no travel expense now (earlier it was). Plus there were many other facilities which were not in my previous PGs viz. Swimming pool, Gym, Big-Really BIG rooms, 2 LCD TVs, 4 cupboards including dressing table of my own, your own private attached bathroom, a good society area, and luxurious (not uxorious) life.

So, to shift here, I quickly made my money settlements in the PG and shifted the very next Saturday. Now the only problem was money for security deposit. It was total 2 lac for the entire flat. So, for each of us, it was 50K. I called dad and asked for the money. Asking for some time, my dad managed to arranged that amount of money by the deadline.

Following are few pics of my current home :)