“I hate being a girl here”, I told my mom over the phone just a few days ago.

Why, you ask? Leaving the general physical and emotional downsides aside, just the fact that we have a messed up sex ratio can be pretty painful to live with (yes, it hurts us too). So after taking hours in talking to my mom and in trying to sulk less, I realized that it was quite the opposite.

1. Easy entry: The girls’ population here is scarcer than snow in the scorching heat of the deserts (exaggeration intended). With less population, comes lesser competition. So naturally, with lesser competition, comes easy passage. Be it into NSO, inter IIT, or any of the technical/cultural societies, we get in easier as compared to the guys.

2. Better facilities: Not saying that we’ve got better hostels, but one word for you, “Nako”. We aren’t forced to live in any substandard hostels at any point, at least. Also, we get what we want (anything reasonable) pretty fast. Be it two microwaves, two washing machines, a fridge, an induction stove (with utensils), yoga mats, a TT table, more indoor clothes hangers, or mirrors in our common room, we’ve got it all.

3. Mess and canteen benefits: From the extra Samosa that the Mess “Bhaiya” gives you after you plead twice, to the faster order that Maharaj ‘ji’ takes care of, being a girl has its own benefits.

4. “Being woo-ed”: Face it, men try to act chivalrous around women even now. So I’m not saying that people hold the doors open for us, but, the occasional sacrificing of seats that guys do in an overcrowded bus when you desperately need to travel to/from Mandi can make you thank your stars twice for being born a girl.

5. Soft spot: Okay, we do get sorted at now and then, and not follow this, but it still happens in a low level. Being a girl means facing lesser consequences for the same mistakes committed. Be it the senior who doesn’t shout at you for not doing some club related work, the soft hearted faculty who lets you in even if you’re 10 minutes late, or the TA who silently agrees to you submitting your assignment a few days later, everyone has a soft spot for you.

6. Money issues: So now and then you happen to end up in the canteen without any cash. Your friends, and at times even acquaintances, wouldn’t think twice before lending your cash, while they’d have at least a 5 minute’s long argument before lending money to guys. And if you aren’t able to arrange cash somehow, the canteen guy would just smile and say, “It’s alright, madam. Pay the next time!“

7. The Fame: Let’s face it- probably the first question that everyone asks every year, about the sophomores, is, “How many girls have joined this year? “. More questions follow, this time specific about every girl. So just being a girl would ensure you fame and attention- almost everyone on campus knows you by name and face.

8. Institute helps: Girls constitute just 7-8% of the total BTech population. So in order to get more girls to study here, our institute offers certain “monetary funds”. We needn’t pay for our mess and hostel fee, and we even get a stipend of ₹5000 per semester just for studying here (for at least a year. Some of us avail such benefits for all 4 years of their BTech.)

Being a girl here is like strolling in a rose garden. Of course, it is beautiful and pleasant, but there are way too many thorns attached too. Only a handful of people would be comfortable around you- who would treat you for who you are and not for your gender. And don’t even get me started on how much easier it is for the guys just the night before quizzes or assignment submissions! Still, in spite of all this, strolling along is a journey worth facing all the thorns with a smile.