156 hotel management students choose ‘veg-only’ practicals; 8 from Mumbai choose the option

Under this feature, while the course material remains the same, a student will have to prepare only vegetarian dishes during practical exams

After institutes offering hospitality and hotel management courses recently gave their students an option to appear for practical examinations under the “vegetarian only” category, the courses have found 156 takers all over India so far.

Many thought the concept of vegetarian-only practical exams is futile. (HT PHOTO (Photo for representation))

This is the first time the National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology (NCHMCT) has made this option available. Under this feature, while the course material remains the same, a student will have to prepare only vegetarian dishes during practical exams.

As per data made available by the national council, 23, 22 and 21 students chose to appear for the vegetarian practical exams in Bhopal, Gandhinagar and Gwalior, respectively. This is followed by 16 students in Jaipur, 10 from Chandigarh and eight students from Mumbai.

NCHMCT’s decision has garnered mixed reactions from institutes in the city. “Today, the youth is moving towards a healthy lifestyle and choosing to give up on meat and seafood altogether. This move by the council will come in handy to all those who have found it difficult to handle meat,” said Marie Fernandes, principal of St Andrew’s College, Bandra. She added that not a single student in her college has opted for this feature in this year.

Many thought the concept of vegetarian-only practical exams is futile. At Dadar’s Kohinoor Catering College, not a single student, in the batch of 200 students, has demanded this option. “None of the hospitality institutes slaughter animals on campus and neither do we force students to taste the food. Also, the theory remains the same so students will eventually have to study all course material,” said Chef Kaviraj.

At the Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition, Dadar, only eight out of a batch of 367 students opted for the vegetarian-only practical exam this year. “Fewer students will choose for the vegetarian only option as there will be no separate kitchen or course material made available for it. Students who wish to start their own venture after graduation might benefit from it as options of vegetarian-only restaurants offering internships to graduates is less these days,” said AK Singh, principal of the institute.