I was invited for the inauguration of the ‘ Aahar Training Kitchen Centre’ for their Certification Program, the ‘Commis Chef. A noble initiative of VIDYA NGO that works in the community impacting youth, children and women on the pan India level for over three and half decades . They have their presence in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Goa. This pilot program is exclusively crafted for enterprising women and girls from the underprivileged backgrounds. A 3 months EDP, Entrepreneurial Development Programme under the trade – ‘General Indian Cookery ..read more

I have been a football fan, growing up with a brother who played the game and was really good at it, in fact he still plays. We used to watch matches and never missed the world cups matches over the years. I was a fan of Jurgen Klinsmann, Ruud Gullit and Paul Gascoigne; moving over the years to watch Messi and Mbappe play. Now I have sons who love the game however I never considered myself playing it no matter at what level! You have to know the background of my tryst with knee injury to really understand why this game was special to me. Knee brings some humour I had a fall in 2017 that caused ..read more

In my household we are very particular about the oils we use. My mother in law has been using only pure kacchi ghani mustard oil. Coming from North India she used only good quality mustard oil. Never saw any other oil being used at home and it was a big ‘No’ to refined oils! I adapted easily as even, my mother used more of mustard oil but then she used other non refined oils for certain cooking purposes. Fast forward to 2022, I learnt about Asian Countries Chamber Of Hospitality Industry (ACOHI) and the work it was doing, felt it matched their vision too. I felt it was exemplary and it address ..read more

 “Today I choose to live with gratitude for the love that fills my heart, the peace that rests within my spirit, and the voice of hope that says all things are possible.” –  Anonymous This is the time of the year when I get into the introspection mode; 2022 is almost on its way to bid us farewell. The lessons that I learnt this year can be summarised in three words ‘collaboration, connection and clarity. This year has been a year of realisations both on the personal and professional fronts. Have seen the elders facing health challenges and how the next gen steps up as care givers. Wh ..read more

I received a message on LinkedIn from a person who was not connected with me on the platform.  When I checked the profile found him to be a Masters student in Hospitality. I responded to his message, here’s the brief conversation we had: V: Hello Professor, Good to connect Me: Hello! Pleasure indeed. Best wishes. V: I am looking for assistance for publishing my paper, which is related to the universal design. Hope you we could collaborate on the same. Let me know your thoughts, Regards. Me: Sure V: Thank you so much!  I would be happy to share my idea and the work that I have do ..read more

The background Capt. Rajesh Todiwan and mine has been a partnership of the equals in more ways than one. I would like to highlight here the things that have added meaning and adventure, making our lives the most enjoyable rollercoaster, though I have never sat on one myself! When we were getting married I said to my seafarer husband, “Your job is important to you and so is mine”; that was the beginning of an equal partnership between the two of us. We got married, soon learnt that I was expecting, he stayed home a bit longer made the first couple of visits to the doctor together ..read more

Why is the hospitality industry losing its people to the other sectors? I was at a reputed hospital in Pune recently visiting a relative who was admitted there. I was truly impressed by the upkeep of the premises. As we husband and I; stepped in the lobby we were engulfed in the buzz and energy of sorts but what held my attention was the air of freshness and almost zero defect housekeeping!  And this is coming from a hotelier who has worked in operations and has been a trainer conducting audits for over two decades. Immediately my thoughts went to the unsung heroes of the hotel industry ..read more

I recently attended a training program on career coaching and learnt many insights.  It was wonderful sitting in a classroom again -virtual though; and honing my counseling skills, learning new perspectives and adding these to my professional coaching toolkit. It’s important for us to keep updating ourselves. I work closely with students and young professionals so sharing these insights with them was one of the reasons to enroll for the program and that I am truly enriched. Though we use the terms counseling, consulting, mentoring and coaching interchangeably; they have different connotat ..read more

The Pandemic has impacted everyone both on the personal as well as professional fronts. Its common knowledge that the hospitality and tourism industries were hit the hardest. But one must remember that these industries are the epitome of perseverance and resilience. True to their motto of, ‘service with humility’. The industry is looking up when it comes to enhanced business; heading towards the pre pandemic levels slowly and steadily. Here’s a look at some of the changes over the years with an emphasis on hospitality education and institutions. The Hospitality industry offers careers that are ..read more

The hospitality industry has always struggled with hiring. Either you don’t get trained people or they don’t stay beyond a short time. This phenomenon has only got accelerated during the last two years where we have gone through the pandemic and with as the younger work force joining the industry dynamics need a change. There is a huge demand for manpower in the industry with the reopening of businesses and moving towards the pre covid levels but what has happened in reality is that the hotel people have moved to other sectors such as retail and organizations that are engaged in customer care ..read more