Twelfth Issue

Vox Populi
Issue 10

In an exclusive Vox Populi interview Barath P. talks to the present and previous Mess Chairmen about the state of Mess

Present Mess Chairman:
Anand Baskaran, Ph.D, BSBE, banand@

“I believe we can, do you?”

1. What's your manifesto?
To run the mess democratically accommodating diverse views of the residents.

2. What are the challenges that you anticipate in your tenure?
In any democracy, it is not possible to satisfy everyone. I anticipate this challenge in my tenure. However, my endeavor would be to address the issues on merit.

3. Duties of a Mess chairman?
In brief, the chairman has to supervise and co-ordinate the mess related issues.
Ref: Please refer the clause 4.6.2 of the Hall constitution for details.

4. What is your message to Junta?
The mess committee is obliged to satisfy the needs of the residents. However, it is a daunting task without the support of everyone. I believe in participatory management in which everyone involves for a common cause. Please help us by providing useful feedbacks, constructive criticisms and voluntary assistance. As a team, we can work towards pulling the mess out of the "mess".

I believe we can, do you?

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Former Mess Chairman:
Ashok Kumar, Ph.D, MSP, ashokku@

“. . . it becomes difficult working with ideals”

1. What are some of the challenges you faced as a Mess Chairman? And how did you cope with them?
a. The mess committee consists of five elected members (including chairman mess committee). However, chairman mess committee is practically responsible for all the activities of mess.

b. Long time residents may develop themselves as key persons. If key persons’ interests differ from other hall residents’ interests, it may become a challenge.

Both the above challenges ultimately may have an effect on food quality and services. However, I can say that I did not face any of the above challenges and therefore coping becomes irrelevant.

2. Why did you resign?
This is really a difficult question. Being a scientist or an engineer you will understand easily. Take a simple example of a quantum particle. Even when it doesn’t have sufficient energy, by repeated hitting, it will tunnel through (across the barrier beyond its energy). So we have a set of rules everywhere but, when the tunnel through process starts, it becomes difficult working with ideals. I wished to keep all the residents happy. I probably could do that to a great extent except in a few cases.

3. What is your advice to the present Mess Chairman?
Do the job cheerfully and act on the complaints promptly. He should not allow majority residents’ interests to be sacrificed for interests of the few. This maybe difficult to follow, but, you have taken the responsibility so accept the challenges.
Remember: “Ships are safe in harbor, but that is not they meant for.”

4. What are the duties of a Mess Chairman?
We have two elected executives (1. Store and supply Secretary 2. Accounts and purchase Secretary) in mess committee. The chairman mess committee in consultation with the other members pursues issues that don’t come under the purview of the elected executives. The chairman convenes the mess committee meetings. In consultation with mess committee he reviews daily mess complaints, changes menu or takes relevant decisions. Official work includes signing documents and supervision of all activities of mess. He is fully responsible for mess security. In case of emergency, he has to convene meetings.

5. What kind of support/feed back did you receive from the residents?
Majority of the residents always supported me. I received many thanks in written and oral form. I really can’t thank in words for the support that I received from residents.

6. Do you feel residents are not cooperative?
Most of the residents are too cooperative and fully dedicated. This at times becomes problematic. Second, due to the inactiveness of HEC/ mess committee (meetings are open to all), much of the time is spent on debate and raising objections that are not always up to the point.

Editor
Sathyaraj.V.
A – 110/4
IIT Kanpur
sathya@

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What Hall Residents have to say about the state of the mess

Hall-4 mess like any other mess in the campus is always a hot topic of discussion. Unfortunately, the discussion almost always revolves around the negative aspects of the mess: bad food, bad service, mess bill etc All along my stay here I have seen the highs and lows of our mess. At present I suppose it’s doing fairly well. I guess nothing is ever going to be sufficient to satisfy the taste buds of everyone. For a change, we can at least dwell on the positives’ that have come up with an eye on improving. As the saying goes “EAT TO LIVE . . .NOT LIVE TO EAT.” Cheers HALL-4 mess.

Dilraj Lama

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Functioning of the Mess has always been a serious problem in Hall 4. I have seen several up and downs in the past five years. Now, the problems have reached a level where most residents are not ready to take up the responsibility of managing the mess. We need to realize that Mess is a responsibility of all the residents and can be improved only by large scale participation by all. I hope the new Chairman of the Mess Committee will take more initiatives to make the management more participatory and consider serious structural changes to tackle the problem of shortage of cooks.

Tony Jacob

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As I know for last 5-1/2 years, Hall IV has always been a point of discussion among the hall residents. One GBM in 2002 and 3 mess secretaries in 2006 proves that. There’s a world of change from the days of dimly lit dining space to the current state. The ambience has improved a ton. The food quality has deteriorated, but after such a long stay here it concerns me least how and what is cooked. One aspect that I miss is the bulla sessions over the dining table. Now people are more willing to spend time on their computers watching movies and playing computer games. This manifests itself in poor participation of junta in hall matters. But general hygiene and the cordial nature of workers remains the same. Finally, I think the quality of food can be improved only if juntas actively participate in the mess matters.

Sachin Singh Gautam

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The State of the Mess

One of my former colleagues at Bhopal, who was a degree holder in computer science and engineering, was asked during her days of 'introduction', “Why is the mess called a mess?”. “Because, it is always in a mess!”, came the pert reply. While she told me this joke, I was not really aware then, how a student feels while eating in a mess, pun intended!

I have been pretty interested and inclined to write about this whole issue about mess management, its affairs and the general response of the people towards it. I would be however, putting my words to limit owing to a lack of space.

It has been two years and more since I joined IIT Kanpur as a PhD student, and since then I have seen five mess secretaries. Imagine five of them in a span of 2 years! What is so special about this year is that it is the third time a mess secretary has been elected! I must acknowledge the fact that each of the mess secretaries made an attempt to improvise, innovate and please the junta by bringing in variety in the food items. Recently, as an attempt to appease regional taste buds, Shela rice was introduced. It would be prudent to comment that we have ended up paying more for the Shela rice than the original plain rice served in the mess.

While the mess secretaries attempted their best to improvise the quality of the food and the menu, I guess the employees in the mess have contributed at large to make a big difference. Be it the mess manager, be it cooks or be it those who wait on the tables, it seems that all of them have put on a big placard on their chests saying “Hum nahi sudhrenge!”.

I would like to specially mention the dinner on Friday, when we have “special” food in the mess. By the name of God, I promise you that you would find it really special, and eligible to be quoted amongst the worst meals of the week. Whether it is Kadhai Paneer or Shahi Paneer, it looks the same, it tastes the same. I sometimes strongly feel that all government mess employees should be exposed to a training programme coordinated by IRCTC at Kanpur Central. Even their food tastes better! They even serve better.

Whenever I go to eat and I take my seat, I would never find the salt, salad or jug of water at the proper place on the table. Sometimes, either there would be no salt on the table, or there would be two containers of pepper at the same place. Sometimes, there would be an empty container of salt or pepper even!

As a special mention, I would like to quote the name of Mr. Deepak who serves and waits on the tables. In addition, he thinks he is lean, mean, smart and handsome, and thinks he has the right to play with the music system in the mess. He takes away the plates in front of you without even asking you and there you are, left grappling for the plate! He would make a point hitting you with the large plate with which he is serving. Mr. Sharma, who I feel is the leader of the lot, thinks it is more important to put sabji on the tables where people are not even sitting than providing spoons to the people who are eating on the tables. One of my colleagues was eating at the table and he had no spoon with him and he asked him 2-3 times and then he was angry, Mr. Sharma coolly said “App kahein to sabji na lagayein!”

In my opinion, I strongly feel that if you want to really make somebody angry, invite him/her to the Hall 4 mess, and voila you have a new enemy!

Suddhasheel Ghosh, PhD, Civil Engineering, shudh@

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Quote of the Week:

There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy.

-Albert Camus (1913 - 1960) The Myth of Sisyphus

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