Students while catring at the farm house where Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal staying at village Jhande in Ludhiana. (Source: Express Photo by Gurmeet Singh) Students while catring at the farm house where Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal staying at village Jhande in Ludhiana. (Source: Express Photo by Gurmeet Singh)

FOR THE past three days, a group of students of the hotel management department of Punjab College of Technical Education (PCTE) have been busy on ‘hospitality duty’ at the farmhouse of college director K N S Kang in Jhande village of Ludhiana.

As part of hosting Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders for three days, the students were entrusted with the catering services provided during AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s stay at the farmhouse and in preparing signature dishes for him.

Four faculty members of the institute – apart from two chefs and two managers specialised in food and beverages – were also on duty for Kejriwal’s team at the farmhouse. The college is affiliated to Punjab Technical University.

Interestingly, the college has claimed that “students working for the Delhi CM and AAP team’s hospitality will get credit, marks and will also be evaluated for this assignment.”

Claiming that it was part of the students’ industrial training and outdoor catering service, Anirban Gupta, dean, hotel management, PCTE, said, “The Delhi CM was overwhelmed by the hospitality of our students. It is part of our curriculum that students have to undergo industrial training and this assignment of hosting the Delhi CM will also be considered in it. Those students were on duty here will get marks and credit for it.” He added that students will be evaluated for food safety, hygiene, handling different guests and management.

“Yes, it was a political gathering but our aim is to serve and satisfy dignitaries with our services,” said Gupta, when asked about students working in connection with a political gathering.

KNS Kang, director, PCTE and an AAP supporter, said, “I hosted Kejriwal at my farmhouse and students from our college were given the entire responsibility for food production and hospitality. I think it was great exposure for them to work to ensure hospitality for dignitaries such as the Delhi CM.”

Sumptuous menu for ‘diabetic’ Kejriwal

It was no ‘aam aadmi’ menu for Kejriwal and his team – Signature dishes were prepared keeping in mind that he is diabetic. Gupta said “a salted Danish pastry vegetable puff” was prepared for Kejriwal as he is diabetic and avoids sweets .

Also, fruit pastries including kiwi pastry, passion fruit pastry and black currant were among the specialties.

For the main course, signature vegetable dishes including ‘Sabz Panchmeli’ (five vegetables slow cooked – carrot, beans, cauliflowers, brinjals and green peas was served – along with ‘sabz miloni’ cooked in spinach gravy.

Punjabi specialties – Dal makhni, panch ratan dal (five pulses mixture) and aloo paranthas – were cooked with minimal use of oil. A special ‘aloo gobhi phoron’ with Bengali spices was served. There were directions not to use cream, butter and ghee.

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