Recession forces couples to live in

There’s more to live-in relationships these days than being progressive, rebellious or even being in love. In recession-hit Hyderabad at least, it is only a matter of convenience. It is not really love, but lack of finances and a desire to tighten purse strings that are forcing young professionals and students in the city to “live in” under the same roof.
On average, the rent of a two-bedroom flat in prime areas in the city is anything between Rs 8,000 and Rs 12,000. And the rent often goes up by 10-15 per cent every year. Apart from that, there are other expenses like the electricity bill, cooking resources, internet connection et al to worry about. With recession adding to their woes, young couples are looking at living in as the most practical way to cut costs.
Says Sohini Ghose, an employee of a publishing firm, “My close buddies who’ve been seeing each other for a while now decided to move in together when their respective roommates moved out of town. It makes sense as they were only wasting money on separate accommodations. They now share all expenses from rent and food to phone bills. What’s more, even their parents are quite cool about it as they have figured out it’s a practical move, given these tough times.”
Students who are living away from home are all for this trend, parental support or not. With no incomes and shoe-string budgets to deal with, the increasing rents in the city have become a nightmare for them. The only solution — moving in together.
Srinivasan K., a student of OU, says, “The college hostels are like hell-holes. So, I was forced to search for accommodation outside. Though my girlfriend and I have not reached that phase in our relationship where we would want to move in together, we were forced to. We now pay Rs 2,000 each for an apartment at Tarnaka.”
While some of these youngsters are in relationships, most are just “live-in roommates” struggling to cope with budget blues. Raunaq Mishra, an employee of Infosys, whose pay packet was cut down by half, is a case in point. “I was paying Rs 9,000 for a small flat in Somajiguda. I can’t afford that now. So I moved in with my female colleague who was looking for a roommate. Now we share the rent and pay just Rs 3,800 each. My girlfriend who stays in Mumbai doesn’t exactly like the idea of me staying with a girl, but I have no choice. We are the only ones in my team without a family in town, so our choice is limited.


Courtesy:Deccan chronicle