Finding Home: A 20-Year-Old’s Journey Between Hostel and Heart
Growing up in an Indian household, I’ve always heard the saying “Ghar ki murgi dal barabar” (the grass is always greener on the other side). Now, as a 20-year-old college student, these words take on a whole new meaning as I find myself caught between two conflicting desires — the excitement of independence and the comfort of home.
Remember those days when we couldn’t wait to leave home? When college acceptance letters felt like golden tickets to freedom? I was no different. The thought of living in a hostel, making my own decisions, and exploring life without parental supervision seemed like a dream come true. No more “beta, where are you going?” or “it’s getting late, come home!”
But here’s the funny thing about leaving home — it teaches you what home really means. It’s not just about Mummy’s perfectly rounded rotis or Papa’s support. It’s about those little moments I took for granted: the morning chaos of getting ready, fighting with my siblings over the smallest things.
Now, sitting in my hostel room, I find myself doing the most unexpected things. I video call home just to hear the familiar sounds of pressure cooker whistles and Mummy’s voice asking someone to bring dhaniya from the market. I scroll through old family photos during late-night study sessions. Sometimes, I even miss those weekend family gatherings where relatives would bombard me with questions about my future plans!
Yet, there’s something beautiful about this contradiction. While I love the freedom of college life — the late-night maggi sessions with friends, the impromptu trips to the nearby chai tapri, and the joy of making my own choices — I also cherish my visits home more than ever. Each return feels special, like finding a charging point when your phone is at 1% battery.
To my fellow 20-somethings who might be experiencing this same push and pull — isn’t it amazing how home can be both the place we want to leave and the place we can’t wait to return to? Maybe that’s what growing up is all about:
learning to appreciate where we come from while exploring where we want to go.
As I navigate through this phase of life, I’m beginning to understand that home isn’t just a physical space. It’s a feeling that travels with you, showing up in unexpected ways — like when you automatically say “aur batao” during phone calls or fold your rotis in perfect triangles just like Mummy taught you.
To home — the place we run from and run to, our first school of life, and our eternal safe haven — here’s to understanding your value just when we think we’ve outgrown you.
What about you? How has your relationship with home changed since starting college? Do you find yourself missing the very things you once wanted to escape from?
Still learning, Still growing, Still here.
@chahatkesh
