I do envy my friends who stay in nice homes, eat nice, live nice, drink nice and do everything that is nice. Nothing is nice in my dingy apartment yet my friends envy me because I live alone (that is like a wow factor especially in Mumbai). So what makes my single life worth envy? For those living in the city with parents or relatives, staying alone means more fun than responsibility. Clubbing, drinking, movies, short trips to nearby hill stations without pleading for permission, spending the entire Sunday out with friends and not sitting bored at home just to spending “quality time” with family. No deadlines, no one to ask questions and no one to answer to. That’s the fun of staying single.

While the privilege of staying at home has its own charm, yet, during our youthful days, staying alone is more than just a fortune cookie. It’s a road to self discovery, a time when you decide to take responsibility. It’s an emotional high even though at most times of the day you have no one to share your emotions with. The feeling of managing yourself in this “big bad world” makes you feel stronger, in fact leaves you stronger. It creates survival instincts, something which is hard to achieve when you have a support.

Staying alone requires you to have an eye for detail. Right from selecting the kind of accommodation, to who your friends are, to who your neighbour is, to how your landlord is trying to extract more money from you, checking and accounting your finances and making it work for you in the best possible manner. Ask elders and they would rate these qualities as essential, before anything else.

Being single in a city like Mumbai has its own charm. Those night outs with girls, pajama parties, gossip sessions and the main advantage is being able check out guys sans any guilt. This city offers us singles fun, security, peace of mind, the freedom to do what we want to do and gives us the space we need to grow.

Those in love might feel that we singles have the “grapes are sour” attitude but then, smart singles can see a silver lining behind every cloud. Just being with the already hitched friends, gives us a chance to learn from their mistakes in their relationships. It is for nothing that my friends come running to me with problems in their love life! It feels good to be the Agony Aunt without actually having to have been through rough relationships.