Student kitchens defeat most traditional cookware assumptions, and honesty serves better than nostalgia here.
The hard blockers first: most hostels and PGs run induction-only, which rules peetal out entirely — no exceptions, no workarounds worth attempting. Check before buying anything.
If gas or coil exists, brass becomes viable with adjustments. One small lined kadhai covers every meal a student actually cooks — Maggi upgrades, egg bhurji, weekend rajma, the occasional ambitious sabzi. The Aangan Tawa handles midnight maggi-adjacent toast experiments equally well.
Care reality matters more than care ideals: student washing happens irregularly with whatever sponge survives. Brass forgives irregularity better than nonstick does (no coating degrading), but demands the dry-after-wash habit — vessels air-drying damp in crowded racks develop issues fast.
Storage: under-bed cloth-wrapped storage works fine between term breaks. Wrap properly before month-long absences; unwrapped metal misses you by tarnishing.
Verdict: gas available plus basic discipline equals a fine first brass piece. Induction equals wait until post-graduation. Both answers are correct.
Small lined brass kadhai washed and drying in a compact hostel kitchen.