Food factory for the foodies

By: Arslan Samdi

Rakesh Kumar preparing Naan

Rakesh Kumar wakes up at 4'o clock in the morning and cuts 10 to 20 kg vegetables, prepares 30 kg rice and deals with 50 kg of wheat flour which will later turn into hot chapattis. No, this is not a part of his diet, but this is what makes the routine diet for hundreds of students in the University, when they eat from the lone canteen in the campus of the Central University of Himachal Pradesh (CUHP).

As the only cook in the University Canteen, work is hectic for Rakesh Kumar. According to him, on an average day, he works for almost 13 hours. “My typical day starts at 4 or 5 in the morning with my tussle with the vegetables, and by the time I wind up the day to leave, it gets to 6.30 in the evening”, says he. Well, that makes it longer than the actual office hours of the University.

Is he ok with that? Well, like the subji he makes, his feelings are a mixed bag. He is happy because he gets his time to spend with the young students in the campus. “Students here in the campus treat me very well. That makes me feel very good working here”, says he. But he knows the good treatment is not without reasons. “I know they look back for small favours”, says a grinning Rakesh; “Hot chapattis, jumping the crowded lunch-line, tea on demand; yeah, small favours”.