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The spice of life

Dela Gwala,south africa

Anyone looking for a little piece of Andhra Pradesh in Tamil Nadu would have found it neatly tucked into the hall of Sri Kaliswari College during their annual food festival. The theme of the festival was 'Hyderabad Cuisine' and every element in the room was reminiscent of that. From the re-enactments of the buzzing bazaars to the students dressed in the traditional clothing of the state, every piece of the décor gave you a glimpse into the culture of the 'City of pearls'.

The largely Islamic population of Hyderabad was represented well in the festival. A very convincing model of a mosque was placed against the wall and the students serving the food were wearing kufis (traditional Muslim headgear). The Buddhist culture of Andhra Pradesh was also represented as Vajay Anand (a third year student) posed in a pool of water emulating the statue of Buddha located in the Hussein Sagar Lake. The students really conveyed the importance of cross cultural learning and seemed to truly enjoy the experience.

Mr. MS Rajmohan was kind enough to speak to the Sivakasi Times team and fill us in on the amount of preparation it took to put this event together. He calmly told us that the students had been preparing the food since 4 o' clock that morning and had finished cooking at about 11 o'clock. This type of hard work and sheer determination is astounding but every student was very quick to let us know that they enjoyed the experience. The hotel management course at Sri Kaliswari College seems to focus on the holistic experience by not only teaching its students about preparing the food but by also taking them on excursions to truly experience the various cultures.

The students' hard work definitely paid off as the food was delightful, decadent and delicious. The meal cost Rs. 500 and it was worth every single cent. Students from the other faculties seemed to be truly enjoying the meal and raved about the taste of everything- the firm favourites though seemed to be Hyderabadi specialities like Briyani , Chapatti and Tandoori. The students said that the food was a treat as it was different to what they usually eat and definitely more spicy. There seemed to be something for every taste as both vegetarian and non- vegetarian meals were offered. The dessert topped off the meal and provided that little bit of sweetness to really hit the spot.

After the festivities the students got the opportunity to participate in a seminar in which Saravanan Dhanbalu (the General Manager of the Fortune Pandiyan Hotel) was the main speaker. He spoke to the students about the different opportunities available in the Hotel Management industry, gave them an overview of how the industry is changing and consequently the skills they need to be successful. He also commented on creativity the students had displayed which he believed was truly commendable.

This food festival was the perfect example of how you can have the best of both worlds. Education needn't be dry textbook learning; it can be an event unto itself. The theory is only valuable when put into practice and Sri Kaliswari College proved that through and through. Sharing a little bit of our culture and learning from others is truly the spice of life. Who knows we could create unity in the world one delicious dish at a time..