Indian Institute of Hotel Management Review By Kanu Priya

Brand stories and success stories are the ones that's been followed, and following that, I joined IIHM Kolkata. Kolkata is known for its delicacies, and there's no better way to learn hotel management other than IIHM. There are plenty of IIHM branches in India, but coming to Kolkata was purely because of Bengali cuisine. I was adept with numerous beg dishes, and to have a hand at non-vegetarian dishes, I don't see a place better than IIHM, Kolkata. The seats are few, so one has to go through central counseling of IIHMs and put your top five requirements in the order. IIHM Kolkata was my first choice, and my previous results have ensured that I reached the institute of my choice. From what I have learned, the teaching methods and all are same in all IIHMs, but Kolkata has its own flavor, and for those reasons, I am happy that I chose this over other.

When you do masters, things go bonkers as there's no time to relax. Classes timings are doubled as theories are practicals are done simultaneously. Hospitality sector demands are ever-increasing, and therefore training at some of the best places like Hyatt, Taj, and ITC would help learn the course in the best way. IIHM Kolkata has MOUs with all these hotels, and we had a six months training with them were I was assisting the main chef. As trainees, we had to be sharp because the time would never be rewind, and whatever we could learn at college and at training would help immensely. It's up to an individual how serious they are, as surviving in this industry requires a hell of grinding, which we were taught at IIHM Kolkata.

Faculties of IIHM Kolkata creates champions in every batch. They exposed us to the real world inside the campus as they did virtual arrangements. Top chefs and experts were called upon to give their feedback on our performances. Performance pressure has led to downfall of many students and even the established chefs and this issue was addressed by the faculty of IIHM Kolkata. If IIHM is the origin of many successful chefs, the college faculty has played the most prominent part in that.

The college has successfully placed its students in top hotels operating in India like the Hyatt, Trident, and Taj. Besides that, the college has also placed the students in many airline companies, but most jobs provided from the campus are of trainee or assistant. The placements were good, but surviving in those jobs is like biting the chickpeas of iron. I also got placed in a reputed hotel, and after being caught wanting in the job, I decided to move on and start something of my own. Many students have started something of their own as we all have been made pro not just in preparing the food but also in managing a business. So, placements were there but not of the highest quality.

IIHM Kolkata has four boys and one girl's hostel but all the hostels are off-campus. The girls hostel block FE 396 was in Bidhannagar, close to the campus. Whether we use it or not, the fees include bus fees, so used to travel through bus. The hostel was comfortable as the rooms were fantastic, and so was the food. Also, we had access to the kitchen and were provided with enough materials to prepare our food on our own. Kolkata is quite reasonable in commuting or finding independent space, but take it without thinking much if you get the hostels.

The campus labs and classrooms were fully air-conditioned. The weather remains hot and humid for most of the year, so cooling was essential. There were enough labs, and one unique lab was Bakery and Confectionary lab as we were taught to prepare some of the best desserts over there. Hardly had I played sports, but at IIHM campus, a sprawling playground was in place, and students used to rush there to play football. The city has produced cricketers like Sourav Ganguly, Wriddhiman Saha, and Mohammed Shami, but still the city's love for football can’t be compared to that of cricket.

Student related activities are organized all around the year at IIHM Kolkata. From cooking competition to music competitions, the college had it all. The year ending cultural event was an event to see as students were free to perform and prove their talent in dancing, singing, and acting. The best activity for me was the food festival on the campus that was held for a week every year during December. Students were divided into teams and had to serve the best delicacies to some of the decorated guests from the HORECA industry.