In many elite institutions like IIMs, IITs, it is compulsory for students to live in hostels, because they know whatever they are teaching is less than what student is learning from their peers.

Moreover, it's selfishness which leads us towards end. So it is necessary to liberate it for a beautiful life. At last, hostel life is really true joy of life. The dream, the fun, the adventure, hostel life has all these. Every romantic cliche about life turns out to be true here.

Bhupinder Kaur: Hostel life does bring discernible changes in one's personality. So far as selfishness is concerned, yes, it also gets liberated. In hostel you cannot remain self-centred. You have to learn the art of sharing with others. It's not only the room that you share with a person whom you meet for the first time but also your feelings and other belongings. You have to adapt and adjust with your fellow hostlers. Sense of sharing that develops at the hostel is quite different from that of home.

At hostel you are amongst your peers who are your friends as well as your rivals. You learn to co exist with them and the same time absorb the peer pressure and keep one-upmanship alive but in check. All this leads to the liberation of one's selfishness.

Syed Zia Ul Hasan Naqvi: It is not correct to say that hostel life liberates our selfishness when we use the word liberates we mean totally free from something. No doubt it is true in hostel life we are free from selfishness to some extent but not fully. In aloofness this bad propensity of selfishness is more than to hostel life.

In hostels we share things with our colleagues, we exchange our notes with them, we prefer combined study, we help each other and enjoy in the company of fellow hostellers. But in spite of all these things we always keep best things for our own use. We use best notes and then pass on to our colleagues first we concentrate on our own preparations for examinations then we think for others.

Man by birth is a selfish creature he is always interested in grinding his own owl. For instance in his childhood when he is in a cradle, mother is the dearest thing to him, he cannot live without mother even for a moment. Because

she feeds and takes care of him. After a few years when he is grown up and married then his dearest is his wife because she is his life partner and through thick and thin she is always with him. At this stage mother is neither very important nor dearest as she was in childhood or teenage. Man by nature is selfish, this tendency is evident by his acts in his routine life.

Sushmita Shrivastava: Yes, hostel life helps us to get rid of selfishness. Students develop a feeling of cooperation and interact with boys and girls belonging to different parts of the country and communities while in hostel. Definitely hostel life is most important for development of a person's character to know his/her potential and it makes one to learn how to adjust with the contemporaries.. In hostel, we come across different kinds of people with myriad thoughts and attitudes, which makes us seasoned. Hostel is the place where a person gets chance to differentiate between good and bad. It teaches us how to tackle different modes of life. It makes people independent. Moreover it makes us emotionally strong. It is quite interesting to get exposed to various cultures. First of all we learn to manage ourselves. We become much more aware of our responsibilities. Hostel life teaches us many things like self-support, right judgement, money management. We gain a lot of confidence. We become self-dependent. We come to know the importance of beloved ones. We strongly understand our responsibilities. Hostel life teaches us the most important qualities like hospitality, courage, patience, etc for leading a fruitful life in future. It makes us to face any situation in life with courage.

Subodh Shrivastava: Hostels are symbols of unity in diversity. There are student hostels in schools and colleges. There are working women hostels and there are hostels of employees for training and many other hostels.

People from different places, of different religions and different nature live together in hostels. They are away from their families for a purpose (study, training or job) so they have to interact with each other for many little things. Even the supposedly strongest person has to depend on his co-fellows somee time or the other. It is, therefore, that everybody tries to liberate selfishness as far as possible by helping each other.

The first help that they seek or give is during illness. If a person suffers from illness his/her col-fellows come together to look after him, take him to the doctor, bring medicines and take care till he has recovered.

The second instance is that they share food with each other whatever is available. They don't leave a person breadless.

Students help each other in studies. They solve difficult topics by explaining to the other a number of times. They also have give and take of notes/study material so that their syllabus is complete.

So it is seen that to a large extent hostel life liberates your selfishness.

Shivam: In a hostel you are among such persons who though are not from one family but have to live as members of one family because anyone can be of any help at any critical time. So one can't be selfish at such places because if you don't help others then why others would help you? Thus to make a healthy relation with most of the persons out there one has to share the belongings among themselves, the common instance is the instant distribution of the food items that a person brings after returning from his hometown! Adding to this, it's the hostel life which is memorable and learning for everyone and it really frees you from selfishness.

SN Patra: In a hostel a number of students reside. They eat the same food together. Eating together they stay together. One shares a room with others. There is a common room, a library, indoor games and also outdoor games. The bathrooms are shared by others. Hence the students learn to adjust with their friends. There is no scope for special treatment. Exclusive food, room with an attached bath or AC and other luxuries are just not thinkable. Such a person adjust better with others in later life also having consideration for others.

Impulse towards self-indulgence and vulnerable conceit one cannot think of while leading life in a hostel.

Man by nature is selfish. Hostel life does liberate selfishness.

Adhinath Jha: Selfishness is the general attitude of human beings. It's to be found more in people who want to lead a secure life. In the hostel one cannot live without helping others. Thus the student begins to change his way of life. He starts living happily with his group. It gives a living style for long term. Sometimes we see a student living in his own way and ignoring others. Thus hostel life gives us a new outlook in life.

SS Chitwadgi: There is some correlation between students' hostel life and liberation of their selfishness. Only those students whose parents do not live where they learn go to live in hostel. It is, therefore, clear that these are deprived of guidance from their parents. They obey discipline of the hostel and help each other. The hostel life is certainly limited to few years only. The life spent with associates during this period is remembered throughout life.

It is equally certain all students after their examinations spread out and at times it is difficult to meet each other. The Hostel-Life then becomes worthy of remembering.

Selfishness is often seen due to isolation, feeling oneself helpless, while living amongst equals or friends makes one more open and accommodating others. This advantage in change of mindset is nowhere possible. This attitude becomes very useful in further life after leaving hostel. One learns to make friends and influence people during young age by spending very interesting life in hostel.

Jaskaran Singh Dhami: Ensconced in his home, a child feels that he is the most important person in the world because everyone around him cosset him. All others seem to be at his beck and call. The love that is showered upon him by the parents and other family members seems to him his right. He does not have to make any effort to adjust with others because others seem to be adjusting readily to the child's requirements. All this leads to germination of a sort of egotism in one's personality which remains etched there till he faces the outside world where he has to shed his selfishness and come out of the cocoon of egoism to become a member of a larger group.

In hostel life one's barricade of selfishness is shattered because he has to reach out to others. One feels the need for socializing. Here in the hostel, you have to make an effort (conscious or unconscious) to adapt and adjust with others. A child (even grownup) has to come out of the shell of selfishness to get accepted by others. He has to share and care for others and only then he gets a foothold in the peer group. Those who fail to shed selfishness get withdrawn and lead isolated life (even among a company) in the hostel and consequences can be catastrophic. Those who fail to drop out even from the institution (school, colleges etc). Their personality does not develop fully and innate potentials remain unexploited.

We can not stretch this fact to the extent that every one who gets the chance to live in hostel becomes selfless and all others remain self centred. One's basic personality traits that are inherited remain intact to some extent. Environment only softens them and complete metamorphose in not possible. Some people even learn the art of hiding their selfishness (hypocrites?). What we can safely say is that, yes, hostel life hones one's skill of socializing which leads to shedding away of selfishness.

Dr Visal A Khan: Hostel is a place where we learn lot of things and how to conduct ourselves. We are not alone or lonely, more students to give company and love. Far away from parents feel home sick, nothing to be worried of, don't understand anything, the teachers will help, make us study well and learn how to stand on our own legs- liberate selfishness. It is a home away from home.

The first dilemma I faced when I entered the University hostel was to share my room with a new boy. I never used to share my room at home with anyone and found this change quite difficult. My roommate was social and hailed from a joint family and never tried to keep a private environment in the room. Since hostel life is a miniature representation of the society outside, there was no lack of politics in our hostel. The most influential boys started to create their own groups and started to compete for the hostel representative positions. Those who involved in the groups eventually started to split up in their relationships. People like me who were not involved in any groups had a comparatively easy time in hostel without involving in many spiteful issues.

Hostel life served as a background to groom us for the real life. Many of the hurdles that we faced in the initial stages of hostel life, we started to feel the life heavenly at one stage. However as the yellow leaves swirl down, it was time for us to say good bye to the charming life of hostel. We walk down the corridors that had taught us some of the important lessons of social life carrying some nostalgic memories in our mind. Hostel life has a charm of its own. You may come out the familiar surroundings of your dear ones and enter a new world of strangers liberating selfishness, experiencing the same problems as you faced. However some basic etiquette can make the hostel life an ever memorable experience.

Frt Jeevan Ganawa: When selfishness ends selflessness starts. Though there are many places and ways to experience freedom from selfishness; hostel is one such place to feel freedom from the bounds of the selfishness. Students from far and wide places come together to achieve their higher goals in life. Some live in hostels in order to pursue their studies while others to earn their livelihood. In a way, hostels are place were people of various cultures and backgrounds share and reflect their identity and values. In hostels we often see others and not oneself out of curiosity to know what is different in others, what is new in them, why they behave such a way, what type of culture do they belong to? Yes, this inquisitiveness to know others and feel one with them generates a kind of current which is powerful than electric shock is nothing but friendship. Here begins the real life of hostel.

Having had, the relational development with people of various religions and traditions in hostels boys and girls feel good about each other. This increases the bond of friendship where people are ready to do anything for each other. This type of pulling force sometimes brings people at the juncture of tying the knot. But when the relationship of love breaks this turns into great enmity or hatred. Often in hostel life people make use of each other for seeking their own good or welfare on the risk of others. At this point, often people don't know what to do and out of selfish motives they succumb to do what may be right for themselves but wrong for others.

The root cause of selfishness one may think is to look for greater good of oneself. As soon as, a person stops thinking about the good of other person he/she becomes subject to self seeking of ones motives. This intention in one may lead to such actions which are not conducive for living in hostels. That's why, these days when we hear in radios and see on television about the incidents occurring in daily life and public places we feel sorry for those who suffer. The practice of ragging, utilizing juniors for completing ones work, molestation, rapes, etc. are not something new for us.

Every family imparts right knowledge and gives good values to their children but how they walk on wrong path while studying in schools/colleges is a million dollar question to ask? Actually, what goes wrong with the youngsters?

RK Kutty: This question can be honestly answered only by those who have real practical experience of hostel life. However, since life in hostel constitutes adjustments on all counts, selfishness automatically would take a backseat. There are umpteen kinds of hostels "College/University hostels- both for boys and girls separately, working women's hostel, hostels for SCs/STs and socially depraved sections provided in State capital cities to facilitate them pursue their higher studies etc. All such hostels are governed by certain rules/regulations that restricts its occupants of their otherwise daily routine at own homes. Normally the hostel Wardens are supposed to be someone who can handle a large group of students of both sex, men and women, strictly according to the set norms of a community living. In a way, it is good where people, speaking different languages, coming from different parts of the country/State mingles together. This, certainly, helps to facilitate lots of interactions, provided a conjugal atmosphere is created where no kind of discrimination of caste, colour, religion or region is entertained and the occupants lives a different kind of community life altogether.

Coming back to selfishness, this is the root cause of most of the problems in our society. Where the self interest reigns supreme, there exists every possibility of friction, division, strife, suffering, disease and sorrow. In a way self is the bitter enemy of mankind. People who are filled with selfishness go to any extent in gaining their petty self interest. This universally acclaimed character trait can be seen in most of the people of different faith, religion, region or even race. And we know the endeavor of all faith, religion or philosophies, is to make people overcome selfishness, so that they can be nearer to the divine and farther from the worldly attributes. It is a difficult task for ordinary men to adept to high philosophical or scriptural matters, unless they are mould and guided by the spiritual Gurus or Masters. The very essence of Gita consists advice of Lord Krishna to Arjuna to over-come his selfishness. Arjuna was put in a difficult situation in the battle field of Kurukshetra where he had to wage a war against his own blood brothers.