Mass Vs Class In Lunch

Lobby View

P S Sundar

When I accepted the invitation to attend a lunch in a five star hotel with a union minister, my mind could never think of anything but a five star atmosphere all through. But, when I was led to the dining hall, things were, to say the least, topsy-turvy. There were arrangements for a buffet lunch with a reserved sit-down lunch for 10 select persons. This table was exclusively for the minister and the top officials of his ministry. Then, for whom was the buffet? Theoretically, it was meant for the VIPs who were invited for a meeting addressed by the Minister before the lunch. But then, almost every one walked in including the ministers chamchas, local politicians, vernacular press persons, police constables and drivers.

In a few minutes, it was sheer chaos at the buffet tables. I heard a driver telling a constable in Tamil, “Look at this, they wont serve us, but simply stand. We have to pick our own food as we do in a way-side eatery.” There was a near stampede in front of the chicken counter. Pieces after pieces were piled upon the plates; still, these people would not move away! And, they did not know where to find a spoon or a fork, but more importantly, did not bother about it either. But, one conveniently lifted off the serving spoon from the dessert for his eating!

While only a few were neatly dressed; some were in bathroom slippers as well. But, more upsetting was the lack of manners after eating with hands, they were seen rubbing their hands crudely over the napkins and table cloth.

Some were rushing to the toilet with their soiled hands to wash. Whether such people should not have a chance to enjoy a meal in a five star hotel is not the question. That this buffet was arranged in the dining hall where the regular paid guests of the hotel were also dining was the point to be noted. There were four foreigners at one table. A well-dressed family from Mumbai was dining at another. Admittedly, these people go to the dining hall of the five star hotels for the excellent ambience, besides the food. And, they pay through their nose for it. I could see them missing the ambience and the pleasure of being in the dining hall of a five star hotel with such a crowd around them. But shockingly, the minister and the officials seemed indifferent to the happenings.

I asked the F&B manager as to why he opted for a mass lunch along with a class of people in the dining hall. He informed that, while the sponsors did not favour the lawns, the only other available conference room was booked for another party. So, it was a case of the hotel just minting some more money through this lunch, not bothered of anything marring its image.

On the contrary, I attended a lunch organised by the BSNL in another star hotel for a function to present awards to employees by the Field Marshal SHFJ Manekshaw. Here also, a table had been set for the Field Marshal and the top officials of the BSNL. A separate buffet was arranged on the lawns for the invitees and employees of BSNL. The field marshal invited an awardee mazdoor to join him and other officers at the table, which he did. There was magnanimity and decency all through and in any case, the mass was separate from the class. Star hotels should certainly know to handle people of a different class when they are part of a mass lunch.