Volume 1, Issue 1

September 2011

ESCRITOIRE
An ancient American saying says, Tell me and I'll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I'll understand. The purpose of Education is to instill a desire of enquiry, experience and a thirst for more knowledge, not just through a study of the prescribed syllabus, but beyond the realms of the text book. For this, the student must be involved in the learning process. The new initiative of the Department to launch an E- Bulletin with the involvement of both the students and the teachers is a commendable step towards a proactive learning environment. My Best Wishes to all involved in the launch of the E Bulletin Dr (Fr) Thomas C Mathew Vice Chancellor

REGISTRARS MESSAGE
The best knowledge is one that is shared I take this privilege, to congratulate AKSHAR Team, as they launch, their first edition. A bulletin which focuses on the insight on the hospitality industry, views and thoughts of its people and creativity of its contributors. The advent of this monthly E-bulletin befits the mission statement of our institution of providing a nurturing ground for an individuals holistic development to make effective contribution to the society in a dynamic environment. With the hope, that this venture, by the department of Hotel Management flourishes, and makes a significant contribution, I wish AKSHAR to reach the heights it aims at. Prof. (CA). J. Subramanian Dean of Commerce and Management and Registrar

he Department of Hotel Management in Christ University was incepted in the year 1991, and since then, there has been no turning back. With each passing year, the standard of excellence has been above par, and the performance by the department has been exemplary.

DIRECTORS CUT
I am very happy for the department of Hotel Management as they publish the first issue of AKSHAR in this academic year. I appreciate and encourage this initiative whole heartedly to express the ideas, imagination and creativity of the staff and students of the department. Let this humble beginning evolve into a full-fledged magazine in the future! The purpose of AKSHAR is to foster academic writing by the students and the faculty. I believe that this would enhance the opportunities for reflection and writing in the department to nurture the creation and development of intellectual capital, which is the key aspect of our University. I congratulate Chef Avin and his team for taking up this venture. I wish AKSHAR to be a golden platform for the department of BHM in nurturing serious academic culture, and building up the department for the future. Looking forward to enjoy the creative and exciting future issues, Fr Arun Antony, Director, BHM Department

With this new year, we bring to you a new creation from our department, AKSHAR, our E-bulletin. Conceptualized by the faculty and students of the Department of Hotel Management, this Ebulletin promises to refresh your mind with vivid thoughts about the hospitality industry each time you receive it. A lot of efforts have gone in the making of this Ebulletin, and we ensure you that with each issue, it would only get better.

FROM THE HEAD TABLE

The Hospitality world is heading in a new path, it is right now in a process of carving a very significant route with respect to rapid change, e-governance, technology, competitive and a demanding Human Resource and lifestyle. India being a rapidly developing economy is presently experiencing a spurt in hotels, both International and domestic brands. The Department of Hotel Management, Christ University is rightly equipped to tackle this gush and be prepared for the future, as the demand for skilled, managerial and operational level of staff is on the ascend. This was one of the reason to start a collection of ideas and to pen them down as a learning process . It gives me great joy and pleasure to introduce the first edition of AKSHAR written and designed by the Faculties and students. The aspirations of students have been fused with the evolutionary change in the industry. My best wishes for the entire editorial team. Sushil D, HOD, Department of Hotel Management

Hospita (Qua) lity

It gives me immense pleasure in bringing to you the first edition of AKSHAR. More than a bulletin it is an initiative to provide its readers with authentic knowledge and an insight of the industry. Conscious efforts have been put to make it a success both for us and the readers. The bulletin focuses on the expectations of its readers and we believe that our persistence is recognized. And we guarantee that this is only the beginning. With the heart of accepting our readers constructive feedbacks, and faith of being accepted, I wish all my readers; Happy Reading!! Chief Editor, Avin Thaliath The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think - rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with thoughts of other men. ~Bill Beattie It is a thousand times better to have common sense without education than to have education without common sense. ~Robert G. Ingersoll

Facultys delivery: Hotel and hospitality educators can make a big difference in quality deliverables by being punctual in class and completing the entire time allotted for their session. Leaving the class early or session spilling to the next hour is an indication of not prudent about time management skill in teaching. Quality teaching is mainly about effective handling of class room dynamics and keeps interest alive for the students. Industry Interface: A key aspect of hotel management teaching is to allow students to dwell into contemporary hotel related issues in class and make them think beyond the realms of course structure. Involving industry experts in course designing and also inviting hoteliers to interact will help in upgrading the skill (faculty and students) alike. Punctuality and Time: It goes without saying that punctuality and managing time is very essential in a corporate culture. Inculcating this habit goes a long way in creating future managers for the trade. Being sensible on time, helps in students and faculties adopting quality academic schedule and in turn having sufficient space to pursue other extra and cocurricular activities, very essential for all round holistic development.

MENSAHERO

With the hotel industry on the rise like never before, the above quotes aptly sums it up; hospitality education requires young students who can think beyond the curriculum, outside the confines of the subjects, and a commonsense approach to the service sector. The above two are also precursors of quality education with respect to:

Students approach: A more concerted and a 360 degrees approach in approaching a class room session by the students will enhance improved class better. Being early for a lecture, getting used to the place of his/her seating, keeping a note ready is a indicator of preparedness of the individual which will With changing times a more practical approach help in grasping the subject better. Well groomed based on the above will develop more competent students (more so in hotel course) always make a big individuals and benchmark hospitality individuals. difference in getting the point across to the lectures about their sense of being ready for the session. V.Jaykumar

loudy skies, a gentle breeze and the hint of rain on a Sunday morning. Typical Bangalore weather. While some of us are still stretching in bed, there are others like Mr. KS Paramesh , senior captain rushing between tables, welcoming guests and showing them around the lavish brunch buffet at the beautiful Vivanta by Taj. When hospitality becomes an art, it loses its very soul but when it becomes a passion, you touch peoples souls. A one hotel man Mr. Paramesh has worked at Taj Vivanta for over 25 years. We caught up with the senior captain, spoke to him about his career so far and his predictions for the future What made you decide to join the hotel industry? I started working after completing my 10th grade. Initially, I spent time working at a steel factory and later on at the BournVita factory, then I followed my colleagues who left their jobs and started working in the hotels across the city. Describe a day in your life.

I have always put my work life ahead of family. My shift hours are not predictable, now I am in charge of the morning breakfast buffet at the coffee shop and dinner. There are other captains who look after lunch service. We usually have a briefing about the days responsibilities, upcoming events Has the pressure ever driven you to a point where and the guests staying in the hotel. I assist my team you considered quitting? in service. With guests paying such high tariffs, it is important that we provide the best service to I have never felt like quitting. The pressure is there,

but I have never crumbled under it. I have always been What is your opinion about the Industrial Training full of energy, from the time undertaken by students. I stepped into this field. I After parents have spent money on your education, like to lead by example and it is essential that you make the most of it. It is motivate my colleagues. important for one to be humble and learn from the Which famous personalities seniors. I am happy to see many responsible train- have you served? ees take up a job with sincerity and dedication. One must make the most opportunity of this train- Aishwarya Rai, Rajnikanth, ing. Practical knowledge and hands on experience Shivrajkumar, Ambarish to name a few. is very important in this industry. What is your advice to the future generations? What about your family life? Be open to learning. Looking back, I feel at times I I have two children, a son Chetan who is studying was ignorant. Treat every moment as a learning accounts and a daughter who is doing her pre experience. Listen to your seniors. One day you university. It had always been my desire to provide may be their manager. Working in every position them with the opportunity to study since I was not will help one understand the industry better and blessed with the same chance. They are both doing make one a better manager. very well and make me proud. Both of them are Hard work and dedication are the key to success. I not interested in this field sadly. remember when my father passed away after What changes have you seen in the past 25 years? being a cancer patient, I was back to work in three days. There have been tremendous changes. Services back then were very limited and not complicated. A To give real service you must add something that breakfast table would be set with only the basics. cannot be bought or measured with money and Now we tend to every single need of the guest. that is sincerity and integrity. Services for staff have also improved. Henry Ford them.

Page 2

Volume 1, Issue 1

FLAVORS OF BHM

Moving to Vietnam from India was rather difficult, and having to spend the first 3 weeks in the center of Ho Chi Minh City, food became my familys main focus as well as my biggest fear. While exploring the city, I noticed that there were many areas that served practically instant meals at unbelievably low prices. There were several small stools resembling footstools which I later learnt was the seating arrangement! With bowls of hot noodle soup everywhere and hundreds of people, an accident seemed inevitable. Finally, one morning my father said that the family had to try Bn Mc which is a vermicelli noodle soup with a shitake mushroom infused broth. We were taken to a tiny, crowded restaurant situated in the heart of the city.. My father promptly ordered for Bn Mc and Caf Sua Da (iced coffee with condensed milk). Within seconds of the order being taken, a lady walked in with an enormous tray carrying our meals. Four large bowls filled with steaming hot soup landed in front of us. I was captivated by the aromas and immediately took a sip of what was the most rejuvenating soup I had

ever had. I made my way through delicious vermicelli noodles and interesting cubes of cured meat rather quickly and then moved onto the coffee. A bolt of energy hit me as I took a sip because it was icy, strongly caffeinated, highly sweetened coffee that was absolutely delicious. After this, I went ahead and tried out various other local meals and not once was I disappointed as the food was light on the stomach, extremely flavorful and inexpensive. I made it a point to eat something Vietnamese every week and it became a kind of healthy addiction as all their meals are perfectly balanced with meat, carbohydrates and vegetables, and are never too rich. These street food experiences have made me feel like I belonged to the culture despite being a foreigner and that is something I am forever grateful for.

Anahita Girish

Page 3

GREENED You must be the change you wish to see in the world - Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi The dawn of future relies on the actions taken at the dusk of the present. An age, where needs overpowered the resources, and environment consistently served the demands; it was high time for a change. A change that would favour the environment and as well as fulfill our needs and demands, leading to a sustainable development. A Native American proverb says, We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. So true in its sense, but meaningless if not shared with the same emotions. The environment asked us a benediction, and did we answer it positively? The industry that we are in dates all the way back to the Colonial Period in the late 1700s. Derived from the French word hospice, the hospitality industry that we know today has come a long way. With a sole objective, to provide for the weary and take care of those travelling, the industry flourished. Since then the tides have changed and it was time for us to change our objective too, or add a few more. We needed an objective where the provider stays

protected. It was time to be Greened. The industry had long resisted the changes, and is only recently catching up to other industries that have converted their operations to have greener strategies, but a significant contribution has been made with a promise to be one of the greenest industries. The advent of ecotels and eco-resorts is a happy ending to the dreaded story of threat to environment and a wonderful introduction to the green movement. From cautious upkeep and cleanliness in order to keep up with the guests demands and concerns, to areas like waste management and conservation of energy, the industry is rigorously and continuously putting conscious efforts to this green movement keeping the guests still at the focal point. Moreover, even the guests are appreciating the practices through their co-tenancy. Though late but the industry has proved that the needs can be fulfilled, and leisure can be experienced in sync with the environments need. It is said that, because we do not think about future generations, they will never forget us, but this initiative will make them us remember forever. Monish Noor

Did You Know

It is untrue that carrots are good for your eyes. This belief started in World War II ,when the British began using airborne radar ,allowing them to find German bombers at night. In order to mislead the Germans ,a rumour was spread indicating that John Cunningham , the royal air forces most successful night fighter pilot ,had developed phenomenal night sight by eating carrots in large quantities. Shivani Gogia

The holy relation between the present and the future is so tight that in some instances it is hard to tell which inspired the other. Truly said by Alan Key, The best way to predict the future is to invent it. In this information age the so called curiosity of knowing and building the future has prominently defined the picture of how our future will get framed. In this context its important to know what lies ahead for the Hospitality industry which will account to be one of the largest employers in the world. Since travelling will play a significant role in the coming years, staying at hotels will become a necessity. That makes it important to know how the hotel rooms are going to look in future. Scientists from the German research organization Fraunhofer Society have come up with a visionary hotel concept called the Future Hotel. With the help of relevant questionnaires from hotel guests, investigations in the changing trends and intense research the Future Hotel depicts the portrait of future.

The floor with its intelligent sensors will make sure that the temperature and lightings in the room are customized according to the guests needs. With its state of the art circular architecture the guest will have a unique experience which will stand out from the usual straight lined architecture. One of the key features of the future hotel is its bed. When its time to sleep, the guest not only has the option to change the color of the wall but also has the option to turn on the energy invent option which will make the bed move slowly like a pendulum on both the sides. The bathrooms are even more thrilling with a Camouflaged LCD display which actually looks like a mirror. The laser sensors inside the bathroom help in heating up the resting surface in the bathtub and with the press of a button the bathroom becomes a steam bath room. With all these features the future of check -outs in hotels may drastically come down as no one would want to leave their hotel rooms once they check in. Subin WIlliams

The purpose - where I start - is the idea of use. It is not recycling, it's reuse.

The various products produced by the Paper Unit include handbags, Three years ago, in July 2008, Christ University took the initiative of giving back to files, folders, pen stands, photo Mother Earth, what we are slowly robbing from her. frames, photo albums, notepads and books and are sold at reasonThe Handmade Paper Recycling Unit was started in Christ University, and has been able prices to students and manfunded by the Corporate Housing Finance for almost two years. agement of Christ University and The people working in this unit come from a slum and work rigorously to ensure that no also to companies elsewhere. waste goes unnoticed and is effectively recycled. The money earned from the sales The collection of waste happens within the campus itself, with 2 different coloured of these goods is saved and used dustbins placed around the campus segregating Dry and Wet waste. This forms the first for the payment of the workers. and most important step towards recycling. Once the waste is collected, it is separated They strive to work harder, and by the workers, and except for paper, the rest of the items are sold to scrap dealers. On earn better. The Christ University Management has also enlightened the minds of these workers through capacity buildan average, at least 500kg of waste is obtained per day. ing programs, so they can work efficiently and use their money wisely. The process of making paper works like this. Once the paper has all been separated, it is put into a Beater, and fiber cotton is added along with water and the paper and then The concept of Going Green, can be heard everywhere, but happens only when we ground to form a cotton pulp. This is then put in a Uniwet, where depending on the decide to take the first step. Grade Separation Method of the paper that is required, the amount of cotton pulp used Lets work towards a brighter future, varies. The Uniwet has a net, which holds all the cotton pulp, while the water is drained and encourage such productive measaway. This forms a rectangle sheet and is then passed through a presser which presses ures at every medium possible. the sheet and drains out the excess water. Then the sheet is put on cloth and left to dry. Only about 25 sheets are made at a time and put out to dry. It takes atleast a day to dry completely. Finally it goes through a polishing machine which smoothens the paper sheet. This process is tedious as it requires a lot of focus on the activity, and the workers must be commended for their dedication towards creating a better environment. Michelle Peris

INDIGENOUS RECIPE FOR THE MONTH

SOLKADI
Walking down memory lane, this issue tells you about the good old times when grandmas magical recipes were so popular. Solkadi, is a very popular drink in Mangalore and the people swear by it to compliment their traditional fish curry meals. It is an appetizer drink and is made from the fruit Kokum. More popularly known to be an ayurvedic medicine, this drink contains chilies, ginger and garlic- the perfect ingredients to cleanse your stomach. It aids in digestion immensely and is loved by all. The color of the drink being Baby Pink is an instant eye teaser. Recipe for 1 liter Coconut Green chillies Garlic Ginger Kokum Juice 1 2 2-3 cloves 1 inch 50ml

ALUMNI TALK.
Mr. Nagpal completed his Bachelors in Hotel Management in 2004 and joined The Park, Bangalore as a Management Trainee. A year after joining as a Management Trainee, Mr. Nagpal started working as the Asst. Manager Front Office, in the same property. Within four months he became the Asst. Manager Food & Beverages. Subsequent years saw him growing as a Food & Beverage Trainer, for The Serai, Chikamanglur by the Caf Coffee Day. On 21 st February, 2008 he made a shift in his career and joined Caperberry as the Operations Manager. Two years down the line he also started handling operations for Tapas Lounge and FAVA at UB City. At present Mr. Nagpal is working with Ista, Bangalore.

STUDENTS OPINION
Do you support Out Door Catering?

Grind the coconut pieces along with the green chillies, garlic, and ginger. When the mixture is smooth, add the Kokum juice and mix well. Serve cold.

No

YES

Radisson, Meridian and Marriot are expanding their chains in the country by tying up with companies in India. Clarks group of hotels, which runs the Clarks Inns and Clarks Exotica resorts, is now looking at expanding in the south. Cashing on the success of its Bangalore prop-

issues all damaging to profit margins. Now looking at the positive side of the hotel issues, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) have tied up with Holiday Inn Express, a mid-market hotel brand, and its first property is expected to open in Noida in 2012. Lebua Hotels & Resorts, a Thailand-headquartered luxury hospitality chain is planning to enter India as well. These are some of the recent achievements that India has finally planned to pursue and Taj property is striving to be a 7th star property very soon by the massive improvement in its efforts and results. Ronita Clare Koch

EW BUZZ

India being a multicultural erty, the company plans to set up premium resorts in country has the advansouth India. Another noticeable aspect is the lack of tage of a regular inflow of travelers coming to experience new culture and traditional values that are still appreciated and followed. This is an exposure, and thus more & more hotels in India are investing in the constructions of more and more rooms to fill in the gap between supplies (61,000 rooms) and demand (100,000 rooms) to make competitors realize that India has resources and talent to make dreams come true .International hotel chains such as Hyatt, skilled manpower which has become a clich of our times. Indian hotel industry is no exception. But whats striking about recruitment shortages in the hospitality industry is that they reflect a buoyant job market with multiple, rapidly-expanding sectors. As International hotel chains form a beeline to set up various outlets in the country, hotels are likely to face perennial shortages of skilled manpower, high wages and staff retention

Poll Question (Next Month)

Whatz Next

Bread and Spirituality

Green Niche Future Indigenous Recipe For the Month Students Forum

Legal age for drinking should be increased to 25 years.

Agree

Disagree

EDITORIAL DETAILS
Chief Editor
Avin Thaliath

EDITORIAL TEAM

Conceptualized and designed by

Subin Williams

Editorial Team
Avin Thaliath Divya Vinod Michelle Peris Ronita Claire Subin Williams Monish Noor Vishwas Shivani Gogia

Technical Support
Savio Jose Contact us Christ University, Hosur Road, Bangalore - 560029, Karnataka, India Phone Numbers: +91 80.4012.9100, +91.80.4012.9600 Fax: +91.80.40129000 Email: akshar@bhm.christuniversity.in Website: www.christuniversity.in

Follow Us

At