The Way I look at it now - Ms. Avril Sule

Have you ever realized that different songs soundtrack the various stages in your life?  When I was just a little girl I sang ‘Que Sera Sera’, with great gusto, not knowing what the future had in store for me. Looking back, I recall that it was an unusual choice of career at the time; a chef was called a cook; it was the Hotel Industry not the Hospitality Industry and women choosing this career were fools who rushed in where angels fear to tread.

I completed a one-year craft course in Bakery and Confectionery prior to joining the Diploma in Hotel Management and Catering Technology. Right from the start, I knew that I wanted to join the Housekeeping Department. Despite the fact that the course syllabus involved many daunting menial tasks, I doggedly pursued this department as my career choice. Despite the strict discipline of the revered Thangam Philip, college days were fun with many co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. There was also some amount of heartbreak – ‘Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool’. My first job as a Management Trainee in The Ambassador Hotel in Mumbai placed me in the Front Office, then Room Service and eventually Housekeeping. Working in the hotel was not easy as there were just three women in hotel operations. We were surrounded by a bunch of protective (read that as possessive) males. At this point I ran into my life partner though I did not know it at the time. After completing two and a half years working in the hotel, I was invited by Ms. Thangam Philip to join the teaching faculty. I come from a family of teachers and vowed never to be one – famous last words!!!!

And so my journey in Hospitality Education began… I joined as Housekeeping Faculty and worked shoulder to shoulder with my teachers. It was not long before I was enjoying the role of a teacher. I strived to make each session as interesting as possible. I pioneered the use of audio visual aids in the institute and dabbled with the use of games in the classroom. At the National Seminar – DISHA (Development of Innovative Strategies in Higher Academics) 2006, I presented a paper dealing with the effective use of games in classroom teaching. I enjoyed a good student-teacher relationship and this helped in getting accurate feedback on the sessions conducted. My anthem at the time was ‘Do What You Do, Do Well’.

Being teaching faculty at IHM, I had a chance to closely interact with Ms. Thangam Philip and my association with her was quite different from most people.  As a student and staff, the fear that she instilled in all of us laid the foundation for the exemplary discipline of the Institute She brought out the best in me with her ‘open sandwich’ criticism; she would rarely praise and when she did there was always a ‘but’ attached. When she was no longer at the helm of affairs at the Catering College, I used to meet her whenever she visited Mumbai and accompany her on shopping trips, to the doctor or just sit with her and listen to her stories and philosophy of life. She became like my second mother and we even shared jokes. It was sad to watch her health deteriorate and towards the end I felt miserable after spending time with her. All I knew was that I needed to be there for her, no matter what.

During my tenure as faculty in the Catering College, one of my greatest inspirations was Ismay Gomes – my teacher, colleague and now, forever friend. It was he who encouraged me to attend the Certified Hospitality Educator programme and complete my graduation. His impeccable dressing style, subtle sense of humour and command over the English Language made him everyone’s favourite teacher. I also owe a great deal of my teaching expertise to HOD of Teacher Training, Dr. Shanta Devi whose encouragement while attending the teacher training programme enabled me to score the highest marks. My personal and professional life has always been supported by my classmate, colleague, soulmate and BFF Jyotsna Bhosale. No two people could be more unlike each other and we revel in the difference.

The metamorphosis of the Catering College into the IHM was difficult for most of us as the quality of teaching was sacrificed to accommodate a larger quantity of students. Teaching remained interesting through changes of governing bodies, curriculum and nomenclatures, but after a while, when there were no challenges to be met, I started writing articles for leading hospitality publications, joined a trainer’s forum, became a member of the HCIMA, was a guest speaker, hosted events and interacted with a world outside the workplace. I am forever grateful to my parents for encouraging me to develop these talents as part of my dowry!!!

I was awarded the Thangam Philip Foundation Scholarship in 1989 and I travelled to the UK and parts of Europe visiting Institutes and Hotels. It was exciting and interesting because unlike now, it was an era when India was lagging behind in the field of hospitality, so everything was new. In September 2004, I was privileged to be invited to participate in the first WHATT (World Hospitality and Tourism Trends) roundtable discussion held in South-East Asia.

When Mr. K.V. Simon took over as the Principal of the Catering College, we experienced a different management style. He was full of praise which was in stark contrast and I ended up taking on responsibilities that I never would have thought I was capable of.  It came as a complete surprise that several years later he invited me to be a facilitator for the prestigious Certified Hospitality Educator workshop conducted by the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute. Facilitating this programme opened up a world of opportunities. We conducted the programme in India and also in the Maldives, Srilanka and very recently in Bhutan. With this, my passion transferred from teaching students to training hospitality educators and trainers. I have conducted training programmes for tourism departments in India and also for other countries. I have been appointed as an examiner and as a teaching expert on the syllabus committee by the Maharashtra Board of Technical Education, the National Council for Hotel Management (Govt. of India) and the SNDT University.

While working with The Galaxy Education System, I was given the opportunity to enroll for the Cambridge International Diploma for Teachers and Trainers. I completed the programme successfully and in the process discovered the difference between the British and American system of Education. In the words of John Dana, “Who dares to teach must never cease to learn”

After a brief sabbatical of training school teachers of The Galaxy Education System in Gujarat, I returned to Mumbai to be part of the start-up team for the Sheila Raheja Institute of Hotel Management.  I was recruited while I was still walking with the help of a walker following a major accident. Undoubtedly, the enthusiasm of taking on the new assignment put me back on my feet (literally)! The four years at SRIHM were an opportunity to build an institute and posed challenges that I had never faced before. Somewhere along this journey, I reconnected to my first love – Housekeeping. After a long stint of writing articles for the Clean India Journal, I took on the role of organizing and moderating panel discussions and forums for their annual event Clean India Pulire  – Asia’s Largest International Cleaning Trade Show. Working closely with their editor, Mohana, was a self-realization of what I could achieve and I was invited to be part of the organizing team for the first ever International Housekeeper’s Summit in 2016. In the following year, I was a project consultant for the IHS 2017 and also hosted the show. In 2016, at the International Housekeeper’s Summit, I was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award for contribution to Education in the Hospitality Sector. It was a proud moment to receive the award on stage with scores of students in the audience who gave me a standing ovation. Also present were my always supportive husband, Prashant and one of my inspirations in Housekeeping Education and Training, Mary Hall from Ireland.

I have learnt so much from so many people… family, friends, teachers and even students! I truly believe that the greatest legacy that one can leave behind is the people whose lives you have touched. I am grateful for having had the opportunity of meeting so many wonderful people who touched my life and supported my unconventional career moves.

When I look back at those dreadful moments when I lay on a hospital bed not knowing whether I would ever walk again, I shudder. Never had I been in confinement for such a long period of time … I read all the books that hitherto had been sitting on a shelf in my cupboard, revived my blog and even watched a Hindi movie on TV. It was a chance to take stock of one’s life and create a to-do list for the future – a bucket list so to speak! The inner spirit of enthusiasm and wild sense of humour that is my trademark were largely responsible for my ‘Staying Alive’. Also my very tolerant surgeon, Dr. Satish Samant, who probably never encountered a patient as crazy as myself. He is witness to the fact that I sang in the operation theatre during surgery. The song – ‘I Have a Dream’ by Abba. The anaesthesist suggested the Titanic song (I hate it!). Later, one of my students drew my attention to the fact that she probably wanted to make sure that my heart would go on and on!!!

For most of my life, the soundtrack was the Credence Clearwater Revival Classic ‘Have You Ever Seen the Rain’ – written to express the fact that the highest pinnacles of achievement in life have been coupled with the saddest moments. As one of my students put it, “Just like a musical octave, her life has been full of low and high notes creating melodies, like never before. But one thing ma’am would agree to is that the support and care from her family and the love from her students always got her back on her feet and made her achieve much more”. There is a saying that you must learn to deal with what life gives you – maybe you should take what life gives you and make something better from it.

Over the years, I have met many students across the globe. It is such a joy to see what they have achieved and know that they are happy to meet you. I disagree with the notion that students can be ‘moulded’. Rather they be nurtured to grow in their own individual way.

I retired in April 2017 from the Sheila Raheja Institute of Hotel Management (and have since been busier than ever before!) A week before, I received the best retirement gift at the Annual Valedictory Function - I was voted the Best Teacher by the students. I was completely taken by surprise by this student initiative which was kept a well-guarded secret and it was a very emotional moment. The award was presented by the Principal, Mr B.P. Sahni and the Chief Guest Mr. Sameer Sud (both my students). Above all, a Final Year Student, Aditya Gupta composed the inscription on the trophy and read a quote from my best critic – our daughter Pria.  “To learn is so much easier nowadays, with the internet and information a snap of a finger away, but inspiration really comes from few. For me, my mother had a reckless abandonment for process and hard-wired rules. Her goal was always to break the mould. No definitions could put her in a straight-jacket. There is always room to breakout; be exceptional, be unique, even to be contrary. And all of her best students were the ones who didn’t fit in, but everything they eventually did, after crossing paths with my mother, fuelled their passion and eccentricity. Over the years, I have met scores of her kids across the world and every one of them had a story about wanting to give up on their unusual choices, but then being inspired by my mother to forge on. Do it because no one else has done it. Do it better than anyone else. Don’t let the norm define you, respect it but rework it. Let your discipline help you achieve but let your creativity help you excel”

         

That quote pretty much sums up everything that I believe education should be and my motto for teachers or trainers conducting a session is to be predictably unpredictable!

I am currently enjoying doing things and working with projects that were not possible in a 9 to 5 routine and yes, I am, as the song goes taking life ‘One Day at a Time’

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The First Lady Hotel GM of India Ms. Batliwala

I met Ms. Shirin Batliwala in 1997, where she did a half day training session with our batch of Hotel Operations Management Trainees, we were 45 of us. Her session was one of the best, we simply loved her grace, a lady who had tremendous knowledge and who showed great knack of handling people – guests or the staff! She inspired me so much that I started to dream of becoming the General Manager one day, the dream changed in just 4 years though when something else looked exciting to me. But the respect and the adulation that we hold for Ms. Batliwala has grown over the years.I worked under her when she came onboard the Taj Mahal Hotel as the General Manager; have seen her in ‘action’. She managed things with ease, she was a disciplinarian but also a lady who understood all, she was compassionate and believed in empowering others. A great mentor and a leader par excellence, she was loved and respected by all.

The modern hospitality in India is incomplete without the mention of Ms. Shirin Batliwala. A lady who ruled and excelled in a profession that didn’t really have another woman with her, she has been one of the key persons in charting the future of the country’s hospitality industry. She is a woman who holds ‘many firsts’ in her illustrious career spanning over 40 years.  She started her journey in the industry by enrolling at the prestigious Institute of Hotel Management, Mumbai (Dadar Catering College) in 1966.  She is the classic example of the Taj Group’s policy not to hire managers, but to create them. She has been with the Taj for over four decades, having joined in 1971 as a trainee, the first girl to make a career in the Food and Beverage department. Till then, girls were employed either in the Housekeeping or the Front Office departments. They were not considered for the other operational areas. Since then, she has handled various assignments or portfolios and held many key positions. She has moved from being a restaurant manager; heading F&B department to becoming the GM, VP and even beyond.’ Been there, done that’!  holds true for her when she says, “There is no substitute for dedication and hard work. Any job done well can be done better. Ultimately, it’s aiming for perfection that makes all the difference.”

The other ‘firsts’ in her illustrious career with the prestigious Taj Group are;Ms. Batliwala was the first lady F&B Manager of a five-star hotel in the country, and subsequently, the first lady General Manager of a large hotel in India. She has been a Taj person; the Taj culture is a benchmark not only in India but also is highly respected the world over- a culture that nurtures opportunities for growth, the openness, the family feeling, the strong values of the Taj and also the Tatas; that are imbibed by the people. She has not only lived those values but has contributed to strengthen them.While at the Taj she was involved in the Prevention of Sexual Harassment against women, being the chairperson of the committee at the corporate level. She still continues to be deeply committed and involved with this, serving as the external member on the POSH committees of several companies.

The Early Life

Ms. Shirin Batliwala was born into a Parsi family in Bombay. She did her schooling from the J. B. Petit School at Fort and then joined Wilson College at Chowpatty. Studying Arts did not really fascinate her and when a family friend of theirs,who taught at the Dadar Catering College, suggested to her the course in hospitality, she grabbed the opportunity as it was a new field then. She liked the college and found the course to be interesting.She did her internships at two different hotels, the Taj kitchen under the culinary genius Miguel Arcanjo Mascarenhas (Masci) and at the Ambassador Hotel under its old Greek owner, Jack Voyantizs.

On graduating from the catering college sheapplied for a job at The Taj Mahal hotel, Mumbai.She didn’t want to join housekeeping department, which was the only department offered to the ladies at that time. But Masci at the Taj, and the F&B Manager then, Mr. Daruwala, were familiar withher. As a student she had done waitings at the hotel for important banquets for dignitaries like the King of Afghanistan, the Shah of Iran, the Aga Khan and other visiting royalty and heads of states. She was selected for a job in the Food and Beverage Operations. Her first job assignment was the extremely busy; banquets. Shortly after theTaj opened the members’ only elite club, Chambers, in 1975, she became its manager. She proved her mastery in the department and didn’t look back.She rose to be the Assistant F&B Manager in charge of Chambers and looking after the other Taj restaurants, Golden Dragon, Tanjore, Harbour Bar, Rendezvous, Apollo Bar, Sea Lounge and the nightclub, Blow-up, that soon became the hip and happening ‘1900s’. As the Taj grew Ms. Shirin Batliwala too grew with it. Before the Internet came, a lot of reading up and research was needed to build knowledge and competencies. To seek as well asto upgrade her knowledge, she travelled to many countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, and all over the West.  She used to also read a lot and meet visiting chefs to understand what the hotel industry and F&B was like outside the Taj and India. Her knowledge of the industry is impressive while her understanding of cuisines and wines is highly respected.

In 1980 she moved to Hotel Taj President as the F&B Manager,setting up the Trattoria and Gulzar restaurants, and the hugely popular Library Bar. In 1982, she was back at the Taj Mahal as the F&B Manager. Her next promotion took her to Calcutta, to first set up and then open the Taj Bengalas the General Manager, a post she held for eight years. She came back to Bombay in 1997 as the Hotel President’s General Manager with additional charge of Taj properties in Aurangabad, Indore and Nashik. Her last hotel as the GM was the place where it all began, the Taj MahalHotel Bombay, in 1998. She wasn’t done yet, she was in charge of the F&B on a corporate level for Taj, her responsibility was upgrading and standardizing the product, coordinating with business development projects for future hotels, renovating old restaurants, interacting with corporate chefs on new ideas and cuisines, and working on rolling out a fabulous wine list for the hotel group.

She went on to hold the following portfolios:

Area Director - Goa & South India, Leisure S.B.U.

Indian Hotels Co.Ltd - Taj Group of Hotels

September 1999 – November 2000

Vice President, Business Development

Indian Hotels Co. Ltd - Taj Group of Hotels

December 2001 – December 2002

Vice President - Coordination, M.D.'s Office

Indian Hotels Co. Ltd - Taj Group of Hotels

January 2003 – December 2004

Vice President, Food & Beverage

Indian Hotels Co. Ltd - Taj Group of Hotels

January 2005 – May 2011

She summarizes her long innings with the Taj Group as being a great experience. The Taj culture she believes is difficult to replicate, a culture that strives on providing its employees with immense opportunities for growth, the openness of the group, the family feeling, the strong values of the Taj and also the Tata’s that are imbibed by the people. It was this feeling that she has cherished the most and still upholds them. When asked about the most empowering and cherished moments of her illustrious career she said, “I was lucky to have very close interactions with Mr JRD Tata. His eye for detail and his humane approach had an everlasting impression on me. His words ‘To be a leader you must lead human beings with affection’ touched me deeply and were my guiding principle. My career was also deeply shaped by our ex-chairman, Mr Ajit Kerkar, who always challenged you to do more than your best, and reposed faith in me to open the Taj Bengal”.

Ms. Shirin Batliwala epitomizes grace, strength, knowledge and humility. Her career is in itself a motivational guide for all women who have or wish to build a career in Hospitality industry. She is, The Taj!

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International Womens Day 2018

The website, www.theiwh.com is up and is going through the ‘testing phase’’, All the ladies at Indian Women in Hospitality wanted it to be live on 8^th March, International Women’s Day. My thoughts were that it had to be running ‘full fledged’ on that day. So it was up on 1^st March 2018.  I requested everyone to check it out as I needed their suggestions and feedback ; I too am was trying to get a hang of it. The response from people who have seen it is extremely positive and encouraging. I guess we all need that; apart from a bit of oxygen and other basics of life. I was asking the ladies to start thinking of their own participation on the page. Each one would be required to be a part of the website as well; through their contributions in the form of interviews, sharing articles, write ups, new initiatives in their organisations. There was also a thought to start nominating different organisations and people so that it became a place for knowledge sharing. I know we all are busy, but my belief is sparing a few minutes would be totally worth it! and we must go for the Girl Power! Am not gender biased, let me clarify that but we ladies can create magic when we all are connected on one belief. It was a reminder that this was a place for learning from each other. That's how we mentor and empower, isn’t it?  Since we have started this initiative, we must make it of great value! and I thought together we could.

I am truly humbled at the same time overwhelmed with the support pouring in from many quarters but I am taking each step slowly as I believe; you must do things that'll steer you towards your vision. Connected with some amazing ladies; who expressed their appreciation and offered support. We are on track!
Since the 1^st of March, the papers have been speaking about the International Womens Day. Over the years I have found it to be not having any meaning unless we go out and make a difference! In our personal and  professional lives, making our work environments healthier at the same time productive for women (and men) leading to a change gradually in our communities and the society. That'll be the real celebration! Cakes, lunches, outings and selfies are mere eye washes otherwise. Have fun but also do something that doesn't get restricted to just one day.

Adding another perspective to this was a message I received from Asmita Desai, quoting her here, “We will be soon celebrating International Women’s day, the Internet and social media will be flooded with empowering messages and so on! I am not against this one day dedicated to womanhood; my point is being a woman itself is a celebration and every woman around us is unique and special, she has her own battles to fight. My question is do we care or acknowledge this? As women do we treat each other with dignity and humanity? I often hear most women cribbing about either their boss or colleague (mostly women), someone in the family (again mostly women) and the list is endless and I wonder why? why are we not at peace with our own gender, the reason might be anything, however, this is something which we women need to re look at and think about, are we getting too critical or judgmental about each other? Have we forgotten that we all are strong and talented and if we embrace each other life would be so easy, I think it will get a lot of positivity into our lives so on this women’s day I urge each and every woman reading this to change the way we look at women around us and practice empathy with each other, if we start treating all women around us like sisters and daughters imagine how wonderful the world will be”!

I told her that she was so very right, also right was this platform, we are all women and we have no interest other than celebrating who we are and acknowledging the efforts of others, applauding the benchmarks achieved by the other women. Also we connect to mentor and empower others to achieve their best potentials. Every time any one of the ladies connects with me; there comes  so much of positivity and optimism; this is just the beginning and am sure we'll grow from strength to strength. We defy certain universal 'beliefs' and we’re loving it! To mark the International Women's Day ; the IWH will have a truly inspiring story! The story of a lady who is a pioneer and  a revered innovator.

Courtesy IWH
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IWH moves from blog to website

In order to succeed we must believe that we can and the preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.

I did have the belief and was ready to do whatever it took to take Indian Women in Hospitality, IWH to the next level. I feel great coming to IWH page each morning, as if I am meeting the ladies there. As the weekend had approached and there was so much to do, my thoughts were figuring out  the reason why I wanted to do this in the first place. I had a decent success in writing whether it’s the blogs, columns, editing a shipping magazine or being an author for a marine website. I haven't charged anyone a penny for whatever I'he done in this domain as I was doing something that I liked doing. This platform has given a direction to what I wish to do, basically shown a larger and meaningful picture. I shall be forever grateful to every lady, who came onboard, shared her views with others, was ready to mentor the ones who needed it and were supportive in living my vision and passion. Somewhere every lady felt that there was something that they wanted to give back to the fraternity and the society at large. Bingo! we were ready and fully charged with our vision of having a supportive and collaborative platform for us.

I have faced adversities like most other women and I'll call myself a fighter, not a survivor. I believe if someone tries to pull you down use that force to go so high that it's not possible for him or her to reach you there. Success is indeed the height you reach after being pulled to the pits.

I have faced pits in many accounts, the recent one being on health. I have a ligament tear, a bad one at that and I was suggested surgery which I managed to evade and am doing fine. The last few months have made me introspect and really see what is it that will give meaning to this life and whatever I have learnt professionally from the veterans, doing justice to that. Basically I wish to pass on the baton; so this community is born and it'll always have a much deeper place in my heart. This is where we have awesome women who are great achievers, it's time to applaud each other and create more success stories and contribute to the larger cause. May be one day make money so that we could meet up in real. It'll be nice to have real meetings and get-togethers than the virtual meets.

The blog is going to turn into a website soon and the person who'll host the website called me to say that he had been blessed with a baby girl, he said the group was lucky for him. A colleague was telling me that the group had all stars what do they contribute. All of us are stars in our own right. This platform values all and inspires everyone to be the best version of her!

I opened my mailbox to receive a beautiful message from one of the members from the UK, " With the formation of IWH, I now know of a platform where I can celebrate women achievers and rejoice that I am an integral part of it too. I honestly did not know the high fliers until I personally saw them join the IWH from around the world; one by one sketching their achievements. I can proudly say that I know all these high fliers and not just by their names. Glad to have arrived at my own list of Indian women achievers to add to if asked by my British colleagues to go alongside Clare Smyth, Ruth Rogers, Nigella Lawson, Ching He Huang and Monica Galetti". Such massages validate the thought and they motivate to do even better. Grateful to Amruta for her kind words of encouragement.

I had written about the highest number of lady pilots being from India, today read in the newspaper that IAF gets it's first lady pilot to fly Mig 21 and take up combat role! Another thought comes to my mind that every lady is a fighter and each one of us does the piloting. Aren't we fighter pilots within us? let's churn up a storm then! We are getting stronger more than 1383 ladies in our closed group, it's time to bring out the inspiration, empowerment and enrichment on the board. The ladies make me realise my true calling in life, at 42; I guess it's a nice feeling! and am grateful to each one of them.

I believe in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.

Please visit Website : www.theiwh.com 
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