Delhi village livens up study life

Just between the main gate of Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and IIT Hostel Gate at the New Ring Road in South Delhi falls a village called ''Jia Sarai''. Down the lanes and serpentine bylanes of Jia Sarai, there exists a world of students gathered from every nook and corner of the country.
You talk to any student, and you will find that most of them are preparing for either IIT-JEE, CAT or entrance examinations of public-sector undertakings.It''s, however, the aspirants preparing for the prestigious Civil Services Examinations (CSE) who walk away with the cake, as far as numbers are concerned. The residential buildings in this area, too, have been converted to a single or two-room set to cater to the burgeoning student population.
A B Tech in Electronics and Communication from Pune University, Abhinanv Abhay Agrwal has been residing in Jia Sarai village since 2003. Agrawal is preparing for the forthcoming CSE slated for May 15. According to Agrawal, "The significance of this village comes from the fact that it has produced more number of civil servants than any other place in the country. I was, thus, determined from the very beginning that I will come and stay in Jia Sara to prepare for the CSE."
So, what makes Jia Sarai a hot favourite among civil services aspirants? Good study environment, cheap accommodation and food available on 24X7 basis are some of the factors, which tilt the balance in favour of this area. "In fact, there is no distraction as far as study is concerned. Everywhere you go, you will find a majority of students preparing for CSE and discussing the finer points of different subjects," added Agrawal.
An MBA from Indian Institute of Foreign Trade and presently working with a public sector organisation, Abhishek Kumar, too, is preparing for the CSE. Kumar can be seen mugging his notes even while having a cup of coffee. Kumar said: "When you see people around studying so hard, you are hardly left with any other option but study."
Kumar had an interesting take about why he chose to stay in Jia Sarai to prepare for CSE. "I remember my cousin staying in Jia Sarai, along with his group of friends, and prepared for CSE. All of them made it to the civil services. He, too, advised me that I should stay here, as I will get a good environment as far as my preparation is concerned," Kumar remarked. Agrawal added, "The economy of the village revolves around students and at any given time you have close to 3,000 to 4,000 students residing in this area. Being a compact place, it has its own advantages. You do not need to venture out of this village to buy anything. Whether, it''s food, household goods or Xerox copies of notes, everything is just a walk away. The internet rates are, too, dirt cheap, which comes around Rs 8 per hour."
Accomodation, according to Kumar is not very expensive as a singe-room will cost you Rs 2,000 per month and double room around Rs 3,000 per month. "The budget for the food bill, if you looking for breakfast, lunch and dinner does not exceed beyond Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,100 per month," Kumar said.
An engineering graduate from IIT Roorkee, Dhirendra Pratap Singh, who too is preparing for CSE felt that environment in Jia Sarai does not act as a distraction. Singh remarked, "Students who wish to hang around do not frequent movie theatres or any other place; they prefer to hang around in neighbours'' rooms. The discussions in these rooms, too, revolve around anything but CSE."
According to Agrawal, "I know students who chucked high-paying jobs in US and came particularly to Jia Sarai to prepare for CSE. This place gives you a sense of belonging, as students are competitive but quite friendly in nature. The place is like a closely-knit family, where you have students coming from different places playing the role of your brother and mentor."