TOURISM INDIA MARCH 2019 TOURISM INDIA MARCH 2019 | Page 38

S A LU T E T O S TA LWA RT S
YOU NEED TO BE INNOVATIVE,
YOU MUST BE A RISK TAKER AND
OPTIMISTIC, ABILITY TO TAKE ACTION
IMMEDIATELY AND COORDINATION
AND COMMUNICATION WITH THE
TEAM MEMBERS AND ASSOCIATES
ARE THE BASIC TO EXCEL IN A
HOSPITALITY CAREER.
When did you start off your career in the hospitality
industry and how did you come to choose this line of
work ?
It all started when I passed out from the school in Delhi
1982. My first dream was to get into a Cricket team but later
focused on Modelling but my dad disagreed with my choices
as he wasn’t fond of the glamorous industry.
Leaving behind my dreams, I started working for a Charted
Accountant as an Accountant in a Fabric exporting company.
Once I was invited for a very rich man’s son’s wedding in
one of the best 5 star hotels, ITDC Ashok in Delhi, with
a Bollywood theme where the actual Bollywood stars like
Mr. Rakesh Roshan, Mr. Jithendra etc were present and
it made me realize that the hospitality industry also had
a glamorous side to it and made me believe in myself to
achieve my dream and I decided to apply for the IHMCT
PUSA . I was not so fortunate on paying my college fees as
my dad was clear to see that I did it on my own.
Then as an oath to myself, I gave up distractions and
leisure in life. Attending classes in the morning, evening
at Bhagath Sing College and working in a hotel named
Oberoi at night for three years without a break and
I moved on with an eye for my goals, setting a clear
schedule to achieve my dreams. Being a Tamil Brahmin
it was an unbearable phase of my life, handling and
cooking meat, making me even vomit. But through step
by step, I mastered the lessons of cooking, even non-
vegetarian. I am confident to cook any dishes under the
sky deliciously, but being a man of principle, like my
father, I have never consumed a non-vegetarian dish or
even alcohol till date.
“Chala the hero ban ne magar waiter ban gaye” –
“Aimed to become a hero but became a waiter” is
exactly the life I went through in the hotel industry at
the initial stage.
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Tourism India March 2019