The lady who gave the theory of cookery!- Krishna Arora

Recently, I received the same message many times from the whatsapp groups of my hospitality and Hotel administration contacts. The message was about Mrs. Krishna Arora, about her life, her teachings and her cookery bible. It showed the respect the lady earned through her inspirational life and body of work. People who were fortunate to have their lives touched by this inspirational lady learned many valuable lessons from her. She always believed that one is never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream, and she emulated that. She had celebrated her 90th birthday earlier this year in true ‘Krishna Aunty’ style- singing, dancing while meeting her family and friends. She was extremely lively and a star at every gathering.

She was a great teacher, a community stalwart, a culinary expert and food enthusiast; Mrs. Arora was popular with her students, colleagues and associates alike. Her contributions to Monash’s Indian community were recognised with the Order of Australia Medal. She had expressed that one of her greatest achievements was being written onto the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre Shilling Wall for her contribution to Indian women’s welfare. She authored several cookbooks and maintained a regular food column in Indian Voice, a local community publication in Australia, where she lived post her retirement.

They say legends live forever in hearts; Mrs. Arora was such alegend. Many hotel management students cleared their basics of cooking from her book. Probably an Indian Larousse for every student of hotel management and culinary arts. Her achievements were far and beyond exemplary. Her time and effort spent servicing the wider community was a true reflection of her hard work and her fighting spirit. Even in her final few days she was in her finest form. Her light will burn on, in those she has touched and we are honoured to have been around during her life timeand we salute her for her lifelong dedication to her craft.

A rigorous curriculum in ‘The Art of Cookery’ at IHMC&N, Pusa, formulated and inspired by Mrs. Arora has not only successfully equipped her students with the life skills, but has also enabled them to become successful professional chefs and managers, and besides that many have done extremely well, and they have joined the list of exceptional alumni and ‘Celebrity’ status that  IHMCTAN  Pusa has produced, under her able training, mentoring  and guidance. No wonder, IHM Pusa, has been adjudged among the best Hotel Management Institutes in the country time and again. Her contributions, however, are not only confined to India, alone, but she has also been greatly instrumental in sharing her knowledge and experiences with the people of Australia.

The Early Life

She was born in Bangalore, she studied hotel management and went on become the HOD and subsequently the principal of the Institute of Hotel Management in Pusa, Delhi, India. She migrated to Australia in 1992, after retirement. Relocating to Australia after spending her life in India got her new challenges and perspectives. She had heard that Australians liked to keep to themselves and passed their time by doing community work, which she thought was a great idea. To keep herself busy she started taking up volunteer work for MECWA where she worked for seven years.  After living in Australia and getting to know the people, she developed a greater understanding of their ways of life. The Multicultural Policy she felt was one of the best things the Government introduced.

Auntyji, as she was fondly called by all in Melbourne, she started afresh by making new friends, volunteering for many projects and cooking for Meals on Wheels. She taught Asian cooking for two years at the Maribyrnong Community Centre and gave cooking demonstrations at the Immigration Museum, Girl Guides and schools. She volunteered with more than 10 community organizations, since moving to Australia. Mrs. Arora was the co-founder of the Indian Senior Citizens Association (ISCA) and also served on the Executive Committee of Federation of Indian Associations of Victoria (FIAV) as a representative of the Sangam community organisation. She also volunteered at the Malvern Opportunity Shop and been heavily involved in the Flavours of Monash festival.

Her book -Theory of Cookery

The book is aimed at students who are studying culinary science. It can also help anyone interested in food preparation and in understanding the various processes used to produce the tasty dishes that diners enjoy.

It is designed according to the syllabus defined by the National Council for Hotel Management and other catering technology institutes in India. It traces the history of cookery and explores various cuisines of the World and Indian Cuisine. It goes into kitchen and production management for students and professionals of culinary science and hotel management.

Awards and Recognition

She was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in 2013 and became the first Indian woman to be honoured with the Shilling Wall Tribute award by the multicultural commission of Victoria for her outstanding contribution to the community.

She taught Asian cooking to Australians for two years at one of the Community Centre in Western suburb of Victoria.

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Creating Positive Relationships

8^th March, International Womens Day, I was late with my morning message on the group - it may have been due to the 'carefree' feeling I was experiencing at that moment, where it could actually have been a stressful one! A feeling of, " I've decided to walk on a path, am happy carving that niche, I’m glad that the others are with me and supporting me. It'd be okay even if I didn't have anyone”.  I'll continue to walk; because I know what am doing is a hope for a lot of good things to come, not for me alone but for all. I am sure a lot of you have experienced this, isn't it a good feeling?  The thoughts of self worth are powerful; remember we are our own cheerleaders!

We turned a month old and am glad that we’ve already created a niche for ourselves. The website is up and worth sharing. We need to use all our resources, media, social media or whatever we have in the 'Girl Power' so that the little voice we have created reaches where it is supposed to and makes a difference. Even an iota of it matters, very drop counts in making up the ocean isn't it? It was  also the launch day for our website www.theiwh.com ; as everyone onboard the IWH wanted it to be the 8th March, they wished our inspirational and empowering stories to reach all and create better awareness of our industry! "We have the wings; let's soar high!" was all I could think of.

We introduced a new section on the website called, 'Rear View Mirror' In this section the women from the fraternity would share their empowering stories. One lady who has not only had a great career in the industry but also has mentored generations of hospitality professionals in the last 40 years; is Ms. Avril Bayros Sule’ loved by all across the globe, may be even Mars and Venus... and beyond!  It was an opportunity for us to express our gratitude for the tremendous work that she has done and the legacy she has created. I felt a whole lot of emotions as I put this post on the website, a feeling if pride, humility and a many more emotions were live in my mind and heart. It was for all to take a glimpse of her beautiful journey and use it as a guide for ourselves, and applaud Sule ma'am.

In the 'Stories' section on the website, there was another gift from IWH to all the ladies (and gentlemen);  on Woman's Day. It was the time for us to hold our breaths, listen up and celebrate another stalwart from our fraternity, who holds 'Many firsts'  to her illustrious career, first girl to step into F & B department in a hotel, first lady restaurant manager, first F and B Manager, first General Manager etc; in her crown. The crown she earned for herself, rather snatched it and made it so very powerful!  A journey that inspires all and sets benchmarks to follow. The lady I am privileged to have worked with Ms. Shirin Batliwala, synonymous with ‘She is The Taj’, and the lady who mentored generations of hospitality professionals, the world over!  It was a pleasure to share her story as we saluted the icon and thanked her for paving a new thought; a new path that others could walk on.

Our timeline was lively and so powerful, we all contributed a little bit each; to that power. We have such inspirational women among us, that we all must have access to great learnings and mentoring and celebrate who you are. Received messages and calls from so many ladies;  each one appreciating this platform and loving the website. Website was ours, the Indian Women in hospitality, and we all needed to contribute good content. I didn't want content writers for it, they had to be real women expressing their stories or sharing experiences that helped others in the industry or just created awareness.

I realised something extremely valuable, my earnings have been the wonderful people in my life, who have always supported me, encouraged me and I know I can fall back on them anytime. Nothing can buy these 'relationships', we create them. I am so happy to have done it on, the IWH too. It is turning out to be a platform for some kind of a reunion. Women are high on emotions (I believe so!) and here we have many opportunities that provide an outlet, for expressions or to  just vent.

A woman with a voice is, by definition, a strong woman. But the search to find that voice can be remarkably difficult. ~Melinda Gates

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Indian Women In Hospitality

I am extremely happy today; in fact my happiness knows no bounds! I feel finally have created something which can really go far as the saying goes, a small step leading to a giant leap! A  platform for the Indian women, working in the hospitality industry. It’ll be used for knowledge & experience sharing, networking, mentoring and collaborating. We have come far indeed but a lot needs to be done. Together we all can achieve more!

Look at inspirational stories among us, motivate us to give our best, share our concerns, and get mentoring but above all each woman empowering the other!  That’s the focus of this group. Would like to get every success story reach the others through blogs and you never know when that can give shape to a book. That’s the vision, to have a collection of success stories from the fraternity.

I believe we have amazing women among us who have beaten every stereotype to reach where they are in their careers and life. There are super women who have been there and done that let their stories guide the others who are just embarking on this journey. It’s easy for women to work for a couple of years in the industry and then switch track, not finding it their cup of tea. We see high turnover among women employees in hospitality. Whereas the truth is that hospitality comes naturally to women, so making a career in the industry can be utilising their strengths to the core. They also make great managers just like men. In my own experience I have felt the privilege of being a woman at my work place. There is respect, caring and the challenge of walking shoulder to shoulder with the men. Gender equity is the mantra to follow and not become a victim of gender bias!

I often hear from my ex students, colleagues as well as women I met across the country during my training programs, writing to me seeking guidance. I end up counseling them, sharing whatever best I can but I feel I am not equipped to handle all on my own. This platform will thus create a bigger bandwidth, a support group where one can seek help from the others.

A local newspaper approached me to write a column in their supplement. Now this was an offer that I couldn't resist simply for the love of sharing my thoughts with people. The thoughts of hospitality as a career, as I still feel people in India, need to know it better.

The Hospitality and Tourism industry offers careers that are dynamic, challenging, thrilling and vibrant in nature. The industry offers many opportunities to the people with the right skills set. A recent study by the World Travel & Tourism Council shows that the hospitality industry is the largest employer worldwide hiring 1 in 12 workers, and this number is set to grow with the continued expansion and growth of the sector. The industry is not really understood well by the masses. Most of them associate it with glamour but there’s a lot of hard work, discipline and the love to serve others that goes hand in hand. Hospitality is all about doing things that come from the heart, manage events and create memorable experiences for the guests. 

Being in the industry for more than two decades and counselling parents and students as well as employees over the years, I have felt that it is extremely important for the students or new employees to know how the hotels operate and what career paths will be available to them. 

Anything first is always very special. The article will remain special to me.

I thought of sharing a very important concern that comes up during my counselling sessions- gender stereotypes! Not that I am a feminist who shouts from the rooftop, but when it comes to dealing with concerned parents of youngsters who are thinking of venturing into a career in the hospitality industry I get asked often how the industry was for girls. 

I am a girl, of course a lady now! Have been in the industry, for almost 21 years. Studied in a hospitality college where the boys to girls ratio was 7:1 (most professional courses show this kind of ratio), a hosteller while there, done my intern ship of 6 months in the second year of college. I have worked in the hotel operations for the first 4 years of my career before getting into academics and after 6 years of that, I am back having one foot in the operations and the other in teaching, learning and development. I haven’t really experienced any bias anywhere, but I was a fighter just like many other women of my generation! Can say that; the industry is very safe to work in. In fact hotels take great care of their women team members. Within the hotel, which is a 24 hours operation it’s absolutely as safe as one’s own home. Women also need to work in shifts but shifts are followed in such a manner that they change at convenient hours so that one can travel back home safely. If a shift gets over after 10 pm then the ladies are given a home drop in the hotel car.

In today’s’ day and time most professions work round the clock so employees need to adapt to the  shifts concept, be it a hospital, a hyper mall or a petrol pump. These places are also safe for women to work.

The opportunities that the hotel industry offers are one of the best. Initially they may not be the best paying but in the due course they are also equally challenging and rewarding. In fact the merits are many such as working anywhere in the world, experiencing the product and holiday plans with family being some of them.

So when the industry holds so much potential why don’t the women who work there make great careers? We need more role models and more take charge women. Indian women in hospitality will bring such women together and create and share success stories.

In any work culture, relationships are necessary for employees to attain professional success. Women in particular need support from people in positions of authority who use their influence intentionally to help others progress. That support and empowerment are essential to ensuring career advancement and professional development. Women may have a lot of mentors but they also need advocates or supporters, who will give them visibility, talk about their accomplishments on the board and promote them for higher opportunities.

There are very few examples of women role models in workplaces. You can’t be what you can’t see. Research shows that almost two-thirds of women reported a lack of senior or visibly successful female role models as a major obstacle to their career advancement. Not many women hold leadership roles in spite of a substantial representation at work place. Give them the wings and see them soar high. Not just they flying but they taking the entire organisation to great heights.

We have come a long way but there are miles to go before there's fair representation and equal opportunities for women. Let's make workplaces productive and happy not just profitable businesses. Women dream to get equal opportunities and recognition for their work, which is long due. Let's all make that dream a reality. A woman has the power and ability to make castle with every brick thrown at her. Let them use this power to engage, inspire, motivate and empower each other.

 

PS: Women in Hospitality, Travel and Tourism can join the Facebook group: Indian Women in Hospitality.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/141735206638001/
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Website: www.theiwh.com Picture Courtesy: Ladies in Hospitality event (taken only for representational purpose)