Nostalgia trip

The fresh aroma of green vegetables and traditional fulka greets you the moment you enter the mess at the Jain Boarding at Model Colony. An ambiance of lines of chairs and tables make up the luxury this place offes. For more than 200 students who stay here the mess provides four meals – breakfast at 7 am,lunch from 10 am ,afternoon snack at 4 pm and dinner from 6 pm. Dilipbhai,the in-charge of the mess since 20 years now,has melted into the fabric of the eatery.

On the menu on a Thursday morning is dal,rice,kidney beans and freshly made capsicum. The hot fulkas keep coming and students and guests around keep savouring it. Thursday,in fact is also the day for a ‘change in the menu’. “We make all sorts of delicacies for dinner on Thursday,” says Dilipbhai J Malani. The menu is set for the entire week beforehand by the students. Explaining the process,Dilipbhai says,“ A student’s committee is formed consisting of 10-15 boys and they decide the menu.” On can see the week’s breakfast menu written on a plastic coated hardboard paper stuck on the wall. The food,made by a Rajasthani staff,instantly reminds one of home. The vegetables are mildly spicy and are always accompanied by either freshly cut salad or chutney. Not to forget,crispy papad for dinner. The food maintains its classic marwari flavour and is easily one of the best places to have a good Jain thali.

Twenty-three- year-old MBA student Rahul Mishra,who stays quite close to the mess,is a regular visitor. “ What I love the most about this place is the quality of the food. Elsewhere,even the basic food tastes bad,here the food is quite simple,but you know its made well and is tasty.” The menu is quite diverse- right from veggies like gourd,bottle gourd,round gourd,spinach to potatoes and pulses everything is made. A different preparation is made for those who prefer having Jain food. Mostly catering to the students who reside in the hostel,the mess also gets occasional visitors from outside. While the students pay their entire mess fee right at the beginning of the year,the mess allows outsiders to come and eat at the cost of R 50 per meal and R 10-12 for breakfast. A cup of tea,coffee or milk costs R 6. The menu for breakfast includes south Indian upma to Maharashtrian poha.

Dilipbhai,who has been working in this filed for the last 35 years,sits at the mess in the evening,overlooking the activities around. Green and pink token slips act as food coupons,and are quickly picked up. During the month of September,the Jains celebrate Paryushan – the month dedicated to fasting. The mess makes sure that the food served during this time is suitable for those who celebrate the festive week.