Delhi’s off-campus students: Canteen is our best bet for hanging out with friends

For students in North Campus, hanging out with friends means going to Kamla Nagar, popularly referred to as K-Nags, or just chilling at a cafe in Hudson Lane. Whereas those studying in South Campus, chill out at Satya Niketan and can be often seen having a meal there with their college buddies. But for Delhi’s off-campus students, the best option available for chilling out with their classmates, have society meetings or just eat a different variety of snacks under Rs 50, is their college canteen.Since the locations of these colleges are relatively isolated and there is no cluster of colleges like in the North or South Campus, the target audience for the few cafes at locations closer to these colleges are not mainly students. While some students in these colleges say they miss the vibe of the campus, others feel that their college canteen is enough to give competition to the various food joints or cafes on campus.
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‘Canteen is the best option for students studying in an off-campus college’
Because of the locations of these off-campus colleges, students do not have many options to choose from when it comes to chilling out. Nikita Tiwari, president of Lady Irwin College, which is on Sikandra Road, says, “For any off-campus college student, the canteen is the best option to hang out. We have Connaught Place around, but if someone does not have the time to go there, then it is the canteen that we always go to. You cannot compare it to any café, but it is getting better by the day. We get south and north Indian food at affordable prices, so it is fine. I don’t regret that I am not a part of any campus college because my college is in Central Delhi and I can go anywhere without wasting time.”

‘Society meetings can also be held at the college canteens’
Mukul Kanojia, the president of the dramatics society of Shivaji College says that the college canteen is not the place to only chill but is also an ideal location to have society meetings. “Our college is in Raja Garden, which is five minutes away from the malls in that area. The Rajouri Garden market is also nearby. But the problem is that for an average DU student, eating out at malls and in the market regularly is not convenient. Daily basis pe agar bahar hi hang out karenge toh paise toh khatam hi ho jayenge. For us, chilling out in canteen or at Brew – a small coffee shop in the college – is the best option. You get sandwiches and coffee in just five minutes and the prices are affordable too. Since I am a part of the dramatics society, we also have our meetings at there.”
Lady Irwin College
‘A variety of affordable food to choose from – what else do you need?’
Drishti Kapoor, a third-year student of Shyama Prasad Mukherji College in West Punjabi Bagh, tells us, “Our college is in a residential area, and there is nothing nearby. The only option that we have for eating out is either the Central Market or North Campus, which is like half an hour away. The market is nearby, but it isn’t only for DU students and there are not many options too. Toh isliye prices bhi zyada hain. Iss wajah se hang out karne ke liye college canteen hi badhiya hai. You can get different kinds of dosas, noodles and burgers at not more than Rs 35. As a student, what else do you need? Aur kahin jaane ka jhanjhat bhi nahi hota.”

‘Wish we also had an area like Hudson Lane to go to’
Some of the students, however, say that although the canteens in these colleges offer a variety of food options, they wish that they also had a place like Hudson Lane or Satya Niketan to chill at. Priya Arora, a third-year student of Janki Devi Memorial College on Sir Ganga Ram Hospital Marg, tells us, “After classes, students get tired and it is better to spend time at the college itself. If there is any special occasion, we go to Connaught Place, but we cannot go there regularly. There are few cafes around, but those are expensive. We can go there twice or thrice a month, not every day. Our college canteen is hygienic and it provides us with many options ranging from vada, chhole bhature, dosa and idli, among others. We get almost everything at affordable prices here, but ek benchmark hota hai na ki South Campus aur North Campus ke cafes hain. We wish we also had an area like that here.”
Mata Sundri College for women
Nickita Arora, a third year student of Kalindi College in East Patel Nagar, says she regrets that she is not part of the on-campus colleges. “I don’t like my canteen’s food, but what other option do we have? And not everybody can afford going to North and South Campus colleges only to hangout. So I think that the college canteen is like a saviour for those studying in an off-campus college.”