The 7 Best and Most Affordable Eating Points in North Campus, Delhi University

First and foremost, congratulations to all of you guys who made it to your dream colleges finally! You've worked hard not just in your boards, but you successfully managed to go through with that tiresome and confusing admission procedure.

It takes a lot of patience to successfully get that golden admission receipt in your hands at the end of the day, and you made it til here! Wheee-hee!

Now, that you're finally a student at Delhi University, AND an outstation one like me.. you'll see how difficult and bothersome it might get at times to manage your diet and meals with your unlimited food cravings and limited monthly allowance!

One simply cannot afford the Big Yellow Door and QD's at Hudson Lane every single day, eh?

To spare you the trouble, here's a list of the 7 best and most affordable eating points in North Campus-

• Chache Di Hatti, Kamla Nagar

Located in the midst of hustle and bustle of the market, you might have to stand in queues (Ladies ki line alag hai, bhaisaab!) to get your plate of out-of-the-world Chole-Bhatura stuffed with Aloo, and just the right mix of spices, for just Rs 35/-!

How good is that? Wait til you actually have it and see for yourselves.

• Ved Dhaba, Malka Ganj

This vintage-styled resto-cum-dhaba is loved by students and local residents alike for very obvious reasons.

Quick service, friendly staff and AIR-COOLERS with no service tax! You can get yourselves a plate of mouth watering paneer butter masala, butter naan and bundi raita under Rs 200, sufficient for 3 adults.

• Chowringhee Rolls, Kamla Nagar

You must've heard of this one even if you're not a DU student. Try their veg roll (@Rs 40) and chilly paneer roll (@Rs 90).

But again, long queues of hungry college peeps! And it's totally worth it, trust me!

• Bistro 57, Kamla Nagar

Economical, hygienic. A small shop in a lane besides MacD, this place is famous amongst all the campus students.

It offers a quick relief from the extremely hot weather with its affordable and luscious sundaes, ice-cream sodas, shakes and coolers. My personal fav- Brownie Fudge Sundae.

• Tom Uncle Maggi Point, Near Ramjas College

Oregano Maggi, anyone? With over 2 dozen more varieties of our favourite snack, served @Rs 40/- per plate, this place is a must visit.

This place first opened up in 1978 and has been around ever since!

• D-School Canteen, Delhi School of Economics

Don't miss the dosa and cold coffee served here. They also serve thali which is reasonably priced at just twenty five rupees. The only downside is that it is always crowded and you might not find a seat for yourself.

You don't even have to be a D-School student to eat here! 

• DDA Market, Hudson Lane

This is my personal favourite. For those 2 months when we didn't have food or tiffin facility at our PG, this place was our blessing in disguise. Here's what you must try-

1. Suresh Tea Stall: Aaloo-pyaaz parantha, Paneer parantha, Chilly Potato, all varieties of paneer veggies.
2. Kaveri: Veg Thali, yum!
3. Prince Chinese: Veg Paneer Momos.

Thank me later, and go have the time of your lives ya'll!

Also Read: The ONE Reason Why Tina Dabi (2015 UPSC Topper) Isn't My 'Perfect' Role Model

A Nightmarish Reality

Losing a person as young as you, who grew up as your shadow, but now is in a place that's far away from you. Sleepless nights, and if any sleep at all, visions where you see them again, outlandishly terrorized of what has happened to them. Whispering your name, asking you to have a look at their moist wounds, to help them tell everybody it's not for real, and that they are coming back to everybody who is already mourning their premature departure.

And then that drifting away til they finally dissolve in hazy air that appeared out of nowhere, arm out-stretched as far as they can to not let go of that one last grip, which will be all that you're going to remember. How you couldn't hold them close to you when you had that chance.

You try your best to picture how would have that 9-year-old bubbly-beautiful girl with short hair and bright eyes turned out to be after her adolescent years. How would she look like if she were with you today, after 10 years of her demise? You try your best but only find yourselves desperately looking for inklings from their siblings, parents and yourselves, failing desolately.

When you think about the relationship you used to share and what possible difference, if any could've 10 years made. If they would've graduated from the same school as you, be living in the same city as you. If they'd have grown up to become a person with same philosophical ideology as yours. Shared similar avocations as yours.

Death leaves a headache so fragile that it never really goes away, but is always there reminding you of its actuality. A heart so heavy and a depression that rises in your throat, pounding hard inside, leaving your heart wrenching in waves of turmoil. That first time you see them so pale, so cold, that's the last you'll ever get to see of them again. That'll be how you're going to remember them for the rest of your life. A vivacious soul that went to sleep, eternally. That girl with captivating persona who turned pale, inanimate.

Isn't it the most painful kind of death when you have to bear with the mourning in your heart for even longer than the days of their life?

Craay-zay Misconceptions People Have About Deserts.

It's very obvious for people to have their own set of curiosities about places they've never been to. But here's a list of insane questions I've been asked about my native place- The Thar Desert.

1.     Have you ever seen rain?
For a sec, even I hoped the inquirer was referring to the song by the Creedence Clearwater Revival. But nooo. This is the most outrageously absurd question I've come across til date. And it has to be. He actually meant if I'd ever seen the sky pouring, as if the clouds get sucked out of the space just because there're sand dunes down on the clod! *Facepalm*

The Thar Desert, just like any other part of the world experiences the 4 seasons including monsoon. There're even hailstorms and floods that destroy crops, like other states of India.

2.     Can you sustain winters?
It's a fact that deserts are subject to extreme temperature changes as freezing nights alternate with blazing hot days. Rajasthan has it's very own hill station too- Mount Abu, a part of the Aravalli Range. Mount Abu has a pleasent climate thanks to its rich dense green forest cover, In summers when typical temperature of desertious Rajasthan is around 44°C, Mount Abu's temperature is 31-34°C. In winters the temperature ranges from 10°C to-8°C (in Night).

My own city has witnessed temperature extremes of upto -2°C many a times in the winter season. So yeah, our winter wardrobes are pretty much brimful, just like your's! Hahh!

3.     Is everything made of sand?
Now I wouldn't complain if people ask questions because of the bias of photographic record. I've been asked if Rajasthan's railway tracks and highways actually look as depicted in the poster of the movie PK. While it's true that you'd find sand dunes around but that does come with a little vegetation, plain surface, 4/6 lane roads and flyovers as well. If you're planning to visit the state and expecting to find mounds of pure sand everywhere for your photoshoots, you're wrong. You would only find them in limited parts of the desert.

Don't be surprised if you find more landforms other than desert. Yes, there'll be hills & uplands, forests, more than a dozen lakes, 2 dozen plus rivers and lush green farms. Unlike the normal perception, there is vegetation even in the driest, hottest parts. You'll find these keekar trees almost everywhere, as far as your sight can go.

4.     Do you spot camels roaming around at any hour?
I'm not sure about the Middle-East and Sahara deserts, but we do not use camels as our means of public transport (other than exceptions of tourist activities). It's possible that you might spot a herd of camels in the sub-urbs or near village mandis. But no, we do not have our personal camels to pet or ride.

Normally, new borns' celebration acts do not include speeches naming 40 camels to the baby and property wills do not constitute of distribution of a herd of camels amongst the offsprings.

5.     Do you guys actually witness fights over water sources?
There are some parts that do get hit by water crisis in summers. But the situation is much better after the Indira Gandhi Canal Project was completed in the 1980's. Besides, there are ground water reserves and you'd find hand-pumps in villages and sub-urbs catering to the water requirements of peeps. However, most of the big towns and cities hardly face any crisis, and we've got abundant water supply for all our needs even in summers.

6.     You guys eat that dish, Daal-Baati, right?
My mother can serve you a plate or more of the most delectable daal-baati choorma you've ever had. But do not walk-in anyday of the week without prior notice expecting to join us over a dinner for that! We do eat some vegetables that you're unfamiliar with, like saangri, pattod and we eat baajri ki roti more often than you do. But other than that, we have usual food like you do.

*based on actual incidents.