Summary
Themed ‘Wakhra Swad of Punjab’, the celebrations include sumptuous delicacies from the northern state prepared by students
IHM Gurdaspur students also invited to put up traditional song and dance performances and skits to depict Punjab’s cultural heritage
The Taratala campus of the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition (IHM), Kolkata hosted its Annual Day on December 17 with the sumptuous flavours of Punjab.
Themed ‘Wakhra Swad of Punjab’, the celebrations included exquisite delicacies from the northern state. Students also put up traditional song and dance performances in a cultural event, inviting their peers from IHM Gurdaspur, Punjab, to help portray the theme better. IHM Gurdaspur students performed in the cultural event and also had their chef supervise the cooking of local specialities.
“Our effort is to make students aware of the different states of India and its culture. Any hotelier needs to know the different cultures. Tomorrow, if you are going to work in a hotel, you must be aware of what the local food is and the culture of that state. With this aim, IHM Gurdaspur has come forward to help us,” said IHM Kolkata principal Nisheeth Srivastava.
Everyone was welcomed with rounds of dhol. The lawn was filled with numerous game and art and craft stalls. The stage was a spotlight for music, dance, and drama performed by students.
A lavish dinner spread consisted of dishes like Aloo chaat, Papri chaat, Ram Laddu, Matra, Lassi, Harika di Ajwaini Macchi, Bharwan Aloo, Kadhi Pakora, Pindi Chole, Rajma, Kali Dal, Paneer Tak-a-tin, Patiala Shahi Gosht, Amritsari Aloo Wadiyan, Gajrela, Kesar Kheer, Til Bhugga and Suji ka Halwa.
We caught up with students and professors behind the scenes. Here’s what they had to say:
One got to taste authentic Punjabi food made with a combination of different spices. Students were in charge of the Annual Day. They got to show their talents and also learn in the process. This time we had more than 1,200 undergraduate, postgraduate and diploma students who worked under the guidance of the faculty for this day.
— Ashok Kumar Prasad, head of the department, food production, IHM Kolkata
The pandemic has hit everybody very badly. After two years, this was our first offline programme. The students took up the responsibility of doing everything. We decided to have the Annual Day on campus so that freshers and final-year students can join, as we had missed the freshers welcome as well as the farewell party last year. We decided to club everything.
— Rita Mitra, head of the department, rooms division, IHM Kolkata
We performed a skit, The Colours of Punjab, on the Annual Day. A story on patriotism and love for culture and country, the skit had pre-recorded voice-overs. After a gap of one year, we came back to the IHM Kolkata campus to perform for this event. This has been a great experience.
— Konarkdeep Singh, third-year BSc in Hospitality and Hotel Administration, IHM Gurdaspur
At first, we had to figure out what we should portray so that the people will enjoy and learn about the culture of Punjab — festivals like Lodhi and Diwali. We jotted down our ideas and came up with the skit. It took us almost a week to prepare. We came to Kolkata two days before the event so that we can rehearse on stage.
— Jasmine Kaur, third year BSc in Hospitality and Hotel Administration, IHM Gurdaspur
We prepared Tandoori Gobi, Paneer Tikka, Laccha Kulcha, Hariyali Kebab, Barbecue Cauliflower and Bharwan Aloo. All of us did the preparations the day before and on the day of the event, we started working at 8.30am. I participated in an event of this scale for the first time and it was a learning experience.
--- Krishnendu Sardar, Diploma in Food Production, IHM Kolkata
How to control and work with a large quantity of ingredients in the kitchen was my biggest learning. Working in a team and making special bonds with colleagues will always be memorable for me.
—Snigdha Basu, second year, B.Sc in Hospitality and Hotel Administration, IHM Kolkata
We prepared authentic Punjabi dishes. The main course included Patiala Shahi Gosht, which is a typical Patiala delicacy, and Amritsari Aloo Wadiya, which is made with moong dal. We also cooked dishes with potatoes and green peas. For dessert, we made Til Bugga from jaggery and til. This is a Lodhi special dish which is made during the winter season. We also cooked Kesari Kheer, which has flavours of Kesar. We had a team of 10 students from Gurdaspur along with the students from IHM Kolkata who prepared the dishes.
— Harmanpreet Kaur, chef and lecturer, IHM Gurdaspur
Last updated on 22 Dec 2021
