12 February 2024

Me, my father, and my sister reach Rewa after a 24-hour tiring train journey. We took an auto from Rewa Station, and within an hour we were back at Rathara Bypass. Our first goal was to find a room for the next 1.5 months. We unpacked our bags at the place where we lived the last time we came to appear for our examinations. We had plans that we would cook food here and look for rooms; if we get a better room, we would shift, and if we didn’t, we would live here only.

The back story

We wanted to shift from there because we didn’t have a proper room to live in; it was a garage. There were two cupboards, which were placed to make it a room. The toilet was clean, though, but it had lots of ants and was dark. As you know, I am 6 feet and 2 inches, so I need to have a bathroom with that height to take a shower. I always had to sit and take a shower using a mug and bucket. The place where we took a shower had lots of ants, and we had to take care of them.

We washed dishes there only. The drainage of the bathroom was also very poor; it reversed now and then, and it was enough to ruin our experience. The bathroom also had iron bars on top, which we had to cover while bathing. It was a common toilet and bathroom, which three families shared.

The house owners had a shop, and they were polite, and we had good relations with them. We could also buy anything if we needed it from the shop. The sons of the owners were also too good, and I played cricket and other outdoor games with them every evening. The room was cheap though; we paid around ₹2200 rupees for 1 month, which included the electricity bill.

Back to the story (12 February 2024)

So, my sister was cooking food for us, and me and my father went on a hunt for rooms. We walked for half a kilometre before going into a random colony. We asked for rent in a house, and I saw the sparkle on the faces of the house owners’ girls.

They were indeed happy that someone wanted to be in their house and was ready to pay. The girls called their father, and we were allowed to see the room.

The room was good, but it was dark and a bit inside, so it could heat up. I was good with it, and so was my father. I don’t know what rent my father and the house owner decided on the phone. My father told him that we would shift this evening, and we went off to the place where our food was being cooked.

After we came, we came to know that our father wasn’t ready to shift and was more inclined towards living there only. I also accepted the fate that I have to live here. It was because of my sister’s continuous insistence that we took another chance at finding rooms.

This time we came towards the temple, which was behind the place where we lived. We went ahead and saw a husband and a wife taking a sunbath. They seemed legit, so my father went ahead and initiated the conversation.

I was a bit shy, so I was just standing there, staring at the surroundings.

He asked the couple (mainly the husband) for a room nearby. At last, after knowing about us and coming under my father’s influence, the husband took us (me and my father) to see the flat.

Both I and my father took our footwear out to show our respect, and I think the trick worked. The man (who was in CRPF) was impressed.

We went ahead, and seeing the house, our eyes popped out. We couldn’t imagine the transition from the house we were living into the house we were currently in.

He showed us the rooms and kitchen. He said that since there were two children, they could use a single room and a kitchen, and we were good with it.

We thought that he would ask for some crazy amount of rent, but he shocked us by saying that they are kids and ₹2000 would work.

We came down the stairs, and my father said that there was a possibility that my relative’s son could also join the two, and my uncle (the room owner) was good with it.

The aunty (the landlady) then asked us about our creed, as they were Brahmins, and they were sceptical about letting any lower caste enter their house.

We too were Bhumihars (which parted from Brahmins as they didn’t take donations), and Aunty was impressed.

We said that we would come here by evening, and they were okay with it. We came to the place where our food was being cooked, and my father told my sister to pack the cooked food and come with us. I insisted on eating the food and then shifting, but at last, we packed the cooked food upon my father’s suggestion.

We came, and we could see the couple still outside the house taking a sunbath. I joked with my sister to touch their feet, and she did it. The couple was flattered, and so were we. We came up, and we saw dust all over the house, so my sister moped the house with water and a bag, which was given free-to-carry clothes in a cloth shop.

We were good here, and everything was going fine. The same day, the son of the couple came, and things suddenly started to change. First of all, our room rent increased from ₹2000 to ₹3500, which my father gave for the two of us and the other boy gave ₹2500.

She gave us a foldable bed to sleep in; thanks for that.

Things went smoothly, but we got scolded occasionally. We went back to Bettiah on February 28 and reached there on February 29, and this time we had plans to take our grandmother with us. For this reason, there were places like Maihar, Ujjain, and Bageshwar Dham that were of interest to my grandmother.

We took our grandmother and reached out to Rewa on March 5. After that, we could see the regular intervention of our landlady. Clean the toilet, room, and kitchen once every couple of days.

She even didn’t ask us before entering the room; there is something called privacy. LOL. We didn’t like that. She also brought a lady and started scolding us in front of her. Two times she brought people to show his flat for rent without asking us and also without telling us prior.

We, too, were pissed off.

14-03-2024

This is the day I am writing the blog. This morning, she came again. She was to enter the bathroom, but I stopped her, saying that my grandmother was taking a bath.

She stopped and started talking to my sister about the electricity bill. She said that it’s the norm for people in Rewa that the tenants will pay the electricity bill, not the house owner.

She also said that we have to pay ₹500 for cleaning the house, which of course is illogical. We have paid rent for the same.

Earlier, I wasn’t engaged in the conversation, but watching the conversation become heated, I got it. I said clearly a number. of times that if my father had talked to uncle (the CRPF man and landlord) about giving the electricity bill, then only we would pay; if not, then we weren’t going to pay a penny.

I also asked about the privacy thing, and she replied that it was her house. To which my reply was that it’s your house, but we have paid for it.

She said that a few thousand isn’t that much, to which I replied that you only asked for that money, and we paid. I was saying that we had talked to Uncle, but she said that Uncle doesn’t live here; she wanted to take the power into her own hands.

We were both shouting and talking in a loud voice. It was bad. I told her to go out and not come before March 21. I also said that if she returned 100% of the money, I would leave by today. which, of course, she denied.

I regretted it after some time while I was eating. I also talked to my father, and he said to not get into these affairs as you aren’t in your home place and you don’t know what these guys will do. He said that whenever the landlady comes, tell her to talk to me. I too agreed with him; it’s not because I am afraid, but because I don’t want to get into an argument.

I will regret it later. I also thought of asking for a pardon from her, but I couldn’t. Though good or bad, experiences are experiences.

We then left the room on 20th March 2024 that too without informing the landlady and the Chapter closes here.

Thank you for reading.

This is Navneet signing off from today’s blog.

Peace 🕊️