Four hotel management students talk about their dream job on the Norwegian Cruise Line
Kale Sukesh with his father Sanjay and mother Vijaya
Chosen to work at the prestigious Norwegian Cruise Line, USA, for close to a year, three students from Hyderabad and one from Vijayawada, of Westin College of Hotel Management, are beyond happy. For two of them, it means amazing exposure and for the other two, it means they can now help their parents out financially.
Like father, like son
After watching his father K. Sanjay, who runs a tiffin centre in Himayatnagar, Kale Sukesh started cooking at the age of seven. “My grandfather was a halwai and my father is a cook too. So I guess, it was in my genes to take up cooking,” says 22-year-old Kale Sukesh, who has been selected as an assistant cook for the cruise.
But the journey so far hasn’t been easy. “I have been waking up every day at 6 am to help my father. College begins at 8 am and ends by 5 pm. After college, I am back with my father helping him till 11 pm. Money was always a problem and my father took a loan to help pay for my studies,” says Sukesh.
“The stipend I got during my industrial training not only helped pay the fees, but also helped out my father financially. In my father’s line of work, he gets to cook, but never gets to travel. He is happy that things are going to be different for me.”
First in his village
T. Amruth Kumar grew up watching his father, T. Ranga Rao, toil in their farm at Gannavaram, Vijayawada. While everybody expected Amruth to follow in his father’s footsteps, the 20-year-old had other plans. “I wanted to work in the hospitality industry, a profession unheard of among many in my society,” says Amruth, who has been selected as the restaurant steward for the cruise.
In his small village, nobody had ever worked in this sector, so his decision did cause a stir. “For the longest time nobody knew what I really planned on doing. More than that, there was this issue of my college fee,” says Amruth. While his father somehow managed to get funds together for the first year, it was his industrial training in Dubai that helped fund his education for the other two years. He adds, “And now, I am the first from my village to go abroad.”
Around the world
From a pool of over 70 students, four students were selected for the cruise, one being C.S.S. Vihari. “This is my first job, so yes, I am very happy. When compared to working on land in any five-star hotel, a cruise offers amazing exposure and we also get to travel the world,” says Vihari, who is selected as a restaurant steward.
Vihari’s father, C.H. Srinivas Rao is an engineer, but the 24-year-old was never pressurised to take up the same line of study. “I chose the hospitality industry and my father has always backed my decision.”
The job includes receiving guests, cleaning and maintaining the kitchen area. “The selection process was tough because an executive chef from the cruise line interviewed us,” says Vihari, a student of Global Hospitality Skill Development Programme.
No fear of water
V. Bhaskar has always been passionate about cooking, and now thanks to his job as an assistant cook on the cruise, he is one step closer to his dream of running his own restaurant.
“My father V. Satish is a civil contractor. Growing up, I would help my mother in the kitchen and it was through her that I got hooked into cooking,” says the 23-year-old.
( Source : dc )
Next Story
