Department of Hotel Management, Christ University, Hosur Road, Bangalore– 560029

Vol. 3 (1), January 2013

Repertoire

We survived the Apocalypse! And live to see another year. Akshar is glad to commemorate the new year

with an all new edition to welcome in the year 2013. Lets celebrate the fact that we have another year to try new

foods, visit exotic destinations, explore uncharted frontiers and cease every opportunity that comes our way. Akshar

is here to be your companion through all this and more. This month we cover the Mayan's 'not-so-true-end-of-the-

world' prediction and welcome all new members into the Akshar family.

- Avin Thaliath, Editor in-Chief

The End of a Calendar

- Keerthan John Noble

Now what would you do if you found out that your cal-

endar had barely a few weeks left on it? Would you con-

sider that to be the end of the world? Or would you be

hallucinating of all the upcoming events that are to take

place on Earth? Well if you ask me, getting a new calen-

dar seems like a valid option.

If you still don’t know what I’m referring to, then I guess

21st December 2012 would certainly ring a bell.

As I sat at home on that Friday evening, waiting for

something spectacular to happen, something unique to

occur in the skies, I was quite disappointed to go to bed

that night with nothing eventful happening, except for a

few ‘End of the World Parties’ that did its rounds in eve-

ry pub and bar in the city that night. However in the end,

we have survived it! We have officially survived the

much raved about and hyped up “Dooms Day.” But it’s

amazing and heart breaking to see the number of peo-

ple, groups and sects in society joining hands in this ra-

ther disoriented and humanly structured belief and cre-

ating a sense a fear among the remaining billions around

the world, who probably had better things to think

about.

According to recent articles, over the past year, many

unrelated groups have joined the doomsday chorus, in-

cluding Nostradamus advocates, a wide variety of escha-

tological Christian, Native American, and spiritualist

sects, and those who fear comet and asteroid impacts or

violent solar storms. During this phase there were more

than 175 books listed on Amazon.com dealing with the

2012 doomsday. The most popular topics were the Ma-

yan calendar and spiritual predictions that the disaster in

2012 would usher in a new age of happiness and spiritu-

al growth. Quite a few authors went to the extent of

cashing in manuals on how to survive 2012. I guess ma-

jority of us did it without having to go through the pain

of reading them.

However, ‘the coming of the end of the world phase’,

has a couple of lessons to teach us. Firstly, it teaches us

that if you do not finish a given task today, it’s not the

end of the world, for there is a hopeful tomorrow that

we should look forward to. And with will and determina-

tion we can complete the task.

And secondly, live life for the moment, because uncer-

tainties in this world are many, and people who influ-

ence them are even more in number, but living for the

moment makes us who we are and much stronger peo-

ple.‘Surviving’, this rather innovative and fictitious cre-

dence, has made majority of us even stronger in our

hope and faith to survive every given day. Reading

books, watching movies and listening to experts nar-

rating how life would end on Earth may make us anx-

ious, but the idea of us being on the list of the survival of

the fittest, and the fact that we overcame ‘Doomsday

Day’, gives us the confidence to savour today and an as-

surance of an even brighter hope for tomorrow.

The Last Supper

Mahira Alvares

After the scare of 21/12 and especially after the mov-

ie I guess we all know what it would feel like if the world

was coming to an end. Well, not really but you get my

drift. So instead of the usual ‘what would you do if it

was the last day on earth?’ being BHM students we

asked some students on campus and some students on

other campuses and some teachers and some industrial

specialists, and some more people … – What would

you EAT if today was your last day on earth?

Here’s the scoop:

“Hakka noodles and chicken in oyster sauce for break-

fast.

Goan fish curry, rice and fried mussel and calamari

rings for lunch.

Mutton dum biryani for dinner.

And of course, beer with all three meals.”

-Ranjit Naik, Faculty,

BHM Deparatment, Christ University.

“ I would definitely eat jalebis and hmmmm… anything

else will do!”

- Bhavana Alvares, Executive Housekeeper,

The Taj West End

Bangalore

“It would be lots of desserts for me! Lots of chocolate..

and have a death by chocolate, literally!”

Ojal Kulkarni, Student,

BBA Department, Christ University.

“ Meghana’s biryani, DBC, Jack Daniel chicken wings,

thai basil chicken, fried rice and spicy banana sundae.”

- Karan Mahesh, Student,

Vakshya College of Hotel Management, Manipal.

“My mom’s food.”

Zachariah Joesph, Faculty

BHM Department, Christ University

“ Something thai!”

Tanya Lewis , Student,

BBM, St. Joseph College of Commerce

“If it was the last day on earth, I’d eat a pizza with lots

of cheese and a big glass of red wine.”

Kunal Lal , Student,

Bcom Honours Department, Christ University.

“I’d be eating the entire day! “

- Ruby Islam , Student,

BHM Department, Christ University.

“ Man, that’s tough! My mum’s prawn curry and mint

chocolate chip ice cream.”

- Anahita Girish, Student,

BHM Department, Christ University.

So, go on and have a go! What would be your last meal

on earth?

Photo credits:

www.lekshmisadukkala.blogspot.com

www.hopesmilingbrightly.com

The Mayans: The Beginning And The End

-Vishal Bose

Not the end of the World, that is. Everyone

was crucially waiting for that moment, eager to

know what happens next, what comes after. Hence,

it came and we still live on. The Mayans predicted

the End of the World on 21st December 2012, ac-

cording to their ancient calendar. But does that

mean our planet is safe? Was it just a miscalculation

or was it just a prologue? First, let’s find out who

the Mayans were.

The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization.

Mesoamerica is a region and cultural area in

the Americas, extending approximately from cen-

tral Mexico to Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador and so

on. To be precise, the Mayan Civilization then, is

currently Guatemala. Their lives are believed to

have begun around 2000BC. Apart from the Apoca-

lypse prediction, they’re also famous for Art and

Architecture and also, the creation of chocolate. As

surprising as that sounds, it’s true.

I am truly grateful to the Mayans for initiating

the use of chocolates. I’m sure we all are. Mayans,

along with the Aztecs are said to have consumed

chocolate as a beer-like beverage and even offered

it as a gift to the gods.

This celebratory drink was made from the fer-

mented pulp that surrounds Cacao seeds. The

seeds, once dried only belonged to the elite classes

and were even used as a form of currency.

Soon, they began grinding the seeds to pro-

duce a variation of the alcoholic drink and this led

to what we now happily consume.

Aside from chocolate, the Maya were also

good with numbers and astronomy. Also, their ide-

as on infrastructure were quite unique. Since there

was no rock quarry or stone to use in the area, they

built the buildings out of bricks made from baked

mud. The Maya raised HUGE structures made out of

these bricks. That in itself makes this place unique

to all the other Mayan locations. Why is this piece

of information necessary? The bricks have inscrip-

tions on them, which takes us back to the Mayan

Calendar. These inscriptions include writing in Ara-

bic, Phoenician, Libyan, Egyptian, Ogam, Tifinag,

Chinese, Burmese, and Paliburmese. This shows

that the Mayans alone didn’t think the World would

end.

The Mayans viewed 'time' and 'dates' as

a meshing spiritual cycle. The Mayan calendar was

sacred and religious; each day had its own patron

spirit. It is foretold that the completion of the Ma-

yan Calendar brings regeneration of Earth, offering

an awakening to all with open hearts and minds.

Astronomy, The Bible and Nostradamus gave away

hints of the World’s end. But the Mayans set out a

date. Thankfully, it wasn’t right. People predicted

Natural Disasters, Wars, even supernatural powers

like The Four Horsemen to bring an end to mankind.

But if anything, we should be glad that the

day has passed and we still live on.

Cover Story

Sustainable food: A guide on what to eat in

order to survive.

-Anahita Girish

Ever heard stories about survivors from the past and

wondered what they ate to live?

During such times of hardship, food supply was almost

always scarce and people struggled to sustain them-

selves on whatever they could find.

Here are a few examples of how people scavenged

their way towards survival:

Wranglers or Cowboys from America used to journey

for days taking herds of cattle to greener pastures. In

order to withstand

these long trips, they

carried beans,

‘hardtack’- bread

made from flour, salt

and water and Beef

Jerky. The art of pull-

ing meat into strips before drying and curing was learnt

from the Native Americans and has since, evolved into

a popular snack.

Survivors

from the

Andes

Plane

Crash in

1972 lived

for 70

days in

Arctic con-

ditions before they were rescued. Due to the freezing

temperatures, the dead bodies of their companions

were preserved and remained free from decay for

months. After finishing their limited stocks of chocolate

bars, snacks and bottles of wine that were found on

the plane, the survivors eventually resorted to

cannibalism!

Although emotionally tasking, as the dead bodies be-

longed to their loved ones, they went through with it

and even survived because of it.

During the 20-year Vietnam War, Vietnamese guerillas

lived in an underground network of tunnels to hide

from the American army. Although they scavenged for

food from the land above, this could be done only rare-

ly and at night as they were always at the risk of being

shelled. Hence, they survived on what was easily avail-

able, i.e. rat meat. Apart from rat meat, they mostly

consumed tapioca and peanuts in different forms. Even

today, these delicacies are offered to daring tourists.

Examples of Survival food

in Pop Culture:

Bear Grylls, the British

Adventurer famous for

the TV show Man vs Wild

has eaten a variety of

food offered to him by na-

ture. His favourites include wild berries and termites,

but his least favourites comprise camel intestinal fluid

and raw goat testicles. No surprises there!

The visually stunning motion picture Life of Pi, based

off the book,

showed ex-

amples of

the young Pi

Patel surviv-

ing on cured

strips of fly-

ing fish, Do-

rado and turtle

meat. The inspiration for this comes from the story of

Steve Callahan who spent 70 days aboard a life-raft be-

fore he was rescued.

In the Lord of the Rings trilogy, a number of fictional

food items were invented that aided the main charac-

ters on their long journeys. A notable example is ‘Cram’

a biscuit-like food which is said to have very little or no

taste. It is claimed that this snack was based on

‘Hardtack’, which, apart from being Wrangler food, was

also given to soldiers and sailors during World War 1.

The American Dough Puts a Hole in

Bangalore

Bryan John Fernandes

American Doughnut franchise, Krispy Kreme is to

open its first outlet here in Banga-

lore on the 19th of January at

Church Street. It’s a miracle that

the first Krispy Kreme in India

opened in Bangalore. Krispy

Kreme is an International retail

store for Sweets and mainly

Doughnuts. Its Signature Dough-

nut is the Original Glazed

Doughnut.

Since the rumour of Krispy

Kreme opening in Bangalore

started, the franchise has come

up with some very unique mar-

keting strategies. Their strategy involved giving

away free doughnuts at Commercial Street, which is

the capital for the shopaholics of Ban-

galore. They also partnered with Max, a

clothing brand; and gave away dough-

nuts for every 1000 rupees spent by

spinning a wheel that enables you to

always win a doughnut, but in different

quantities. The biggest incencentive yet

is the one year’s worth of free dough-

nuts they are offering to the customer

who first knocks on their doors on the

19th. This has created a buzz in the city,

with talks of all night stakeouts and

bunking schools and colleges doing the

rounds.

Photo Credits : www.facebook.com

Entrepreneurs’

Corner

“Doughnuts. Is there anything they can’t do”.

- Homer Simpson

Adventure 101

Srujana Sagi

2013. And the talk of the town seems to be -

“We survived the apocalypse!” In keeping with this

theme, what better kind of vacation for the season

than an Adventure Holiday? From skiing in Gulmarg,

mountain biking in Ladakh to trekking in Sikkim, In-

dia offers a wide array of adventure sports vaca-

tions, whether to challenge oneself, to overcome

inhibitions, to learn survival skills or simply for that

rush of adrenaline.

A prominent organization that is dedicated

to providing clients with fine adventure holidays is

Snow Leopard Adventures. Established in 1990,

they are based in Rishikesh and are known for the

exhilarating yet safe experiences they offer. Headed

by Mr. Ajeet Bajaj who has a passion for adventure

as well as solid adventure travel experience, Snow

Leopard Adventures brings to its customers River

Running, White Water Rafting, Trekking, Skiing, Cy-

cling, Wildlife Safaris, Horse Safaris and Rappelling.

To them, providing quality adventure holidays is not

just about finding a way to get away from the hustle

bustle of routine life, but to embrace life and all its

adventures.

There are two factors that have contributed

to the appeal and success of Snow Leopard Adven-

tures over the years. The main factor of course, be-

ing the endless adventure activities. And a very im-

portant secondary attraction being the pristine

camps that they are run from, which are known to

be some of the most comfortable camps in India

and even in the world. The Blue Bull Camp is nes-

tled along the banks of th Betwa river in Orccha,

Madhya Pradesh. The location of this camp makes it

ideal for kayaking, light rafting, trekking, cycling,

rappelling and nature walks. The Leopard Beach

Tented Camp located at the Himalayan foothills, 16

kilometers from Rishikesh transports customers to

a Wintery Outdoor Wonderland. This camp offers

rappelling, rafting, nature walks, kayaking and

beach games. Camp Tusker, in the midst of Rajaji

National Park, four and a half hours away from Del-

hi is a tranquil forest camp, offering cycling in the

forest, day treks, jeep safaris, nature walks and riv-

er rafting. The Himalayan Bear Stream Camp in the

foothills of the Himalayas is a popular choice for

corporate programmes and school trips. They offer

trekking, river rafting, cycling, yoga, safaris, rappel-

ling and nature walks.

So this season let loose, fly free, and let the

adventurer in you soar! There is definitely no

dearth of options to choose from.

References:

www.snowleopardadventures.com

www.google.com

The Hopeless Traveller

Surviving the Netherlands!

Anahita Girish

The time has come again where we wish a few of course mates as they embark on an exciting adventure.

Five students from the Second Year have only just set foot in the land of Breda, Netherlands. As they

face below freezing temperatures, they will also face the thrills of living in a new country, making new

friends and broadening their horizons in the field of Hospitality. They are currently attending the Interna-

tional Hotel Management exchange programme at NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences.

As two of the students are members of Akshar, we hope to receive some great updates, giving us a view

into the Euro life!

Watching the new year fireworks from

Burj Al Khalifa : “I went down around 11:30pm

on 31st night and stood a few feet away from

the building to see the full panorama , I didn't

have to battle the crowds, It was spectacular!”

- Nazia Tabassum

Photo

Bug!

Editor-in chief

Avin Thaliath

Conceptualized and Designed by

C Rahila Sahrish

Editorial Team

Avin Thaliath

Tanya Nicole Fernandes

C Rahila Sahrish

Mayank Agarwal

Keerthan John Noble

Vishal Bose

Aravind Varghese

Anahita Girish

Vishwas Badami

Mahira Alvares

Angelina Maben

Bryan John Fernandes

Karan Nagpal

Srujana Sagi

Contact us at:

Christ University, Hosur Road

Bangalore— 560029

Karnataka India

Phone Numbers: +91.80.4012.9100

+91.80.4012.9600

Fax: +91.80.4012.9000

Email: akshar@bhm.christuniveristy.in

Website: www.christuniversity.in

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