IHM Mumbai – All that I am and will be, was born here!

Lying on the bed, 7653 kilometres away in Cordoba, none of you who are reading this piece can imagine how heavy my heart feels looking at this picture!

This place is more than just my alma mater. This is where a part of my heart still dwells and is going to stick for the rest of my life for all I know. Be it my BTK (Basic Training Kitchen) table no. 10 right by the window. Be it those lecture rooms that have tiles on the walls for reasons only those who attended FT sir’s lectures will know. Be it that ‘Snacketeria’ which gave us a good reason to be envious of the guys studying at the Kohinoor college right opposite ours. Be it that table in the mess where I spent hours and hours before and after college hours with Celina. Be it the table in the corner, right at the end of ATK (Advanced Training Kitchen) where I had the best memories of TY with the very talented kitchen partner Krystal D’Souza and rest of my C Group. Be it the bakery where Chef Jaeson taught us more about life in general than about baking / patisserie.  Be it that locker room next to BTK where frustrated souls spending hours in the kitchen heat used to kick lockers, throw chairs around. Be it the Graduate Training Restaurant where many of us even by the end weren’t sure about whether it is the right/left side that you serve a guest sitting on the table from. Be it the Housekeeping lab where we did art/craft more than back during school days. Be it the computer lab where the IDS password used to change for some good reason every second week.

This was clicked while we were making cottage cheese in the ITK for one of the tarts during Third Year Bakery if I am not wrong

It has been around a month that I last wrote here and it is only because every time I sat down on this topic, it got me so emotional that I just could not. Even right now, I started off with the idea of writing an informative piece about the college but that just won’t be me. So, moving on, addressing to those who don’t know much about this institute and must be wondering what makes me so emotional.

IHM Mumbai, the first institute of its kind in whole of South East Asia was started way back in 1954 with just 6 students in the Bhavans College Campus in Andheri. This very college went on to be the institute which gave the hospitality industry its major players who changed the game and significantly contributed to bringing Indian tourism and hospitality on the world map. Its esteemed alumni include so many big names that it wouldn’t be fair to name just a few.

 

IHM Mumbai was a model replicated across the country as the demand for skilled labour in the hospitality sector was reaching new heights and thus; in late 70s, the Central Government took over the monetary responsibility of the institute. So, just to give you an idea, IHMs are just like the IITs although there isn’t much ground to compare the two but technically they hold similar stature. Even today after the sudden increase in the number of heavily funded private hospitality colleges having much better infrastructure, IHM Mumbai still stands at the top in terms of the quality of education it proves to impart each year. And this isn’t the word by a survey or a leading magazine, why I say this is because of the kind of feedback we receive from the industry when we mention that we are from IHM Mumbai; believe me, they look at you in an unusual way and expect a lot more out of you.

I’ll briefly run you through the curriculum if in case anyone would be standing where I did 3 years back wanting to know more about what I was going to be a part of. The curriculum which every batch is been told by FT sir that it will be changing for good as of now has 4 core subjects’ wiz. Food Production, Food and Beverage Service, Front Office and Housekeeping. Other than these, over the course of 3 years we also have subject like Hotel Engineering, Facility Planning, Hotel Accountancy, Food Safety, Nutrition, Food Science, Communication, Human Resources and Tourism. The curriculum isn’t as out dated as you would hear. It is decent is what I can say from my personal experience.

If you frankly ask me what makes IHM Mumbai what it is and why can’t it be replicated in its true sense, the only answer you would here from me is:  the FACULTY.  These are the people who are the difference. The passion that these people carry each day to the kitchen, labs and lecture rooms cannot really be compared to the others for whom it is a job that helps them earn their daily bread.  Each faculty out here is a legend in themselves. Never in my 15 years of schooling and junior college before coming here have I ever considered teaching as a profession that I would be interested in anytime soon. But, when I came here and the way every faculty made an impact on my life, I realised how much these people matter to the real industry even though they do not come in contact with it very often. I may not come back to this institute as a faculty but I will definitely give back whatever little I can. I wouldn’t name any faculty member as that would be unfair to the rest but all I can say is I owe of lot of whatever little I am to every single individual out there.

When I started out here, things weren’t quite pleasant as I was really notorious and used to often find myself deep into trouble all the time. As day passed, I didn’t change much but I just learnt the art of not finding myself into trouble despite being the same. I found the best set of genuine people out here who became family while I stayed in Dadar during first year. I’ve had some crazy memories out there in first year and I could do anything possible to relive them only if it was possible.

 

IHM Mumbai also gave me Celina Jolly, the person who I happened to come across when I was randomly shifted to B group from C due to some clerical error in the college records regarding my name.  And how fortunate I find myself that things turned the way they did. She has been one person who shared a lot of memories with me along the way and has been a constant support since then. For those from college, I don’t think I need to explain any further on how she has been a major part of college life. But, just for the record, thanks a lot Celina, college wouldn’t have been the same without you.

The first half of second year was spent at Grand Hyatt Mumbai as a part of my Industrial training exposure and I really had the time of my life. Believe me, when I say that not many will have a similar experience to share as most them had a really tough time working at other properties. Fortunately, Grand Hyatt Mumbai was a wonderful experience with the right amount of learning and exposure and it is one of the very few hotel chains that are here to make a difference on how they treat their people. But, I’ll leave that discussion for another post.

Second half wasn’t that fun and pretty boring as the other half batch was training and I started focusing more on studies and surprisingly ended up ranking 8^th on the merit list. The highlight was QTK where we cooked meals for the college dining hall and had some great memories over there.

Third year was by far the best I guess for some reason. Campus interviews were a major part of it where I did end up securing a handful of jobs and turning down all of them ultimately. Also, got the opportunity to go Delhi twice for ITC and OCLD finals and return empty handed. Well, today when I look back I don’t really feel I came back empty handed. I came back with a lot of memories, got to bond with a few close friends and realised what I seemed to be chasing wasn’t really worth it. Anyway, will leave that for some other day.

Cybercity, Gurgaon. ITC WMI Final Interview’17  #TeamReject

I had an amazing time preparing for and executing the buffet assignments. All the groups were given themes and a budget to spend and prepare a buffet meal for 120 pax. This exercise had to be carried out thrice by each group and at the end of the year, the group with the best performance would win the trophy. I was fortunate to have the best set of people who bonded well and had the skills to kill. We made some wonderful memories and lifted the trophy as well!

 

Bakery

ATK

The highlight of my college life and the third year was Cornucopia. Cornucopia, was a dream I had seen way back in first year after having heard from members of the faulty like Mrs Mercy Mathew and Chef Iyer how IHM Mumbai used to host an annual food and trade festival that used to be a thing to look forward to on the calendars of the students, alumni and the industry at large. When I heard the stories from them, I noticed the pain the hurt that they felt that it didn’t exist anymore due to petty politics. By the beginning of third year I had a fair amount of idea on what I wanted to achieve and how we did! We finally brought the fest back and it was undoubtedly the best day of my ollege life to see what I had pictures right in front of my eyes. I was awarded the trophy for ‘Most Dedicated Student of the Year’ for the success of Cornucopia. But, above all, the happiness and content I could see in the faculty members, the alumni and others was a sight to look at and is a memory that will stay with me for life.

 

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By the end of third year when it finally hit us that all this is soon going to be left behind, it was pretty difficult to accept. There is not a day that passes without missing some random moment spent in college. IHM Mumbai isn’t just a college, it’s a feeling, an emotion that holds a huge place in my heart.

To my batchmates, I hope you all are doing well wherever you are. Do keep in touch and posted occasionally, it feels s pleasant to hear for you guys. Go out there and make this institute proud for what it deserves.

To my juniors, you have no idea how much you will miss every little thing once you’re out here. Make the most of this time. I am a phone call away for all of you out there. Glad to see you guys taking up a lot of social causes these days. I am aware that you guys are working on Cornucopia, will be trying my best to be there. Make us proud!

At the end, all I can say is that, there is so much that this institute has given me which is much bigger than the piece of paper that we are formally left with.

Adios!