eating habits of iit delhi

Prof. Amrit Srinivasan and Radhika Ralhan

IIT Delhi/ HUSS/ INDIA

course subject:

A. PSS Archive and Base Knowledge

A.1 Archive of PSSCases in India

open learning resource:

[ Food Eating Habits : IIT Delhi] The Speical Case of Hostel Eating System

contributors:


Indian Institute of Technology Delhi / HUSS / INDIA

Acknowledgements

I sincerely thank Prof Amrit Srinivasan (Head of Dept.

HUSS, IIT Delhi and PI of LeNS IIT Delhi, India) for conceiving

the idea to explore the eating habits amongst the IIT

Hostels. This learning resource would have been

impossible without her help and valuable inputs.

A special mention to the following Mess Secretaries of the IIT,

Delhi Hostels Mughda Saxena (Himadri), Sarla Meena

(Kailash and present Secretary of BHM), Yudhveer Thakkar

(Vindhaychal) Mohit Khatri (Zanskar) for providing

significant information about the hostels. Also thanks to

Khirod Chandra Mohrana (PhD scholar, Dept. HUSS) and

Mr. Neeraj ( Proprietor Holistic Food Centre) to provide their

help and support in building the resource material.



Learning contents:

I. Acknowledgement

II. IIT Delhi Campus

III. Eating Zones of IIT’ians Eating Inside & Outside the Campus

III. The Hostel Eating System IIT Hostels : An overview

Unique Case of Hostel Mess

Significance of Hostel Mess

Mess Management

Mess Eating System : Meals, Payment Mechanism

Facilities in the Mess

Sources of Food Supply

IV. Culture of Food Amongst Students. Regional diversity in eating

Religious diversity in eating

Gender diversity in eating

V. Areas of Concern Possible PPS Design Initiatives

VI. References



IIT Delhi Campus

• The IIT Campus is spread across 320 acres.

• Longitudinal Structured, divided into Four Functional zones :

a. Residential zone for students b. Residential Zone for Faculty and Staff

c. Academic zone d. Recreational zone

• IIT is a Residential campus and it is mandatory for a student to reside in a hostel.

• Residential area for Faculty and Staff includes a total of 1600 units of which 1000

are for the administrative staff and 600 are for the faculty.

• IIT has a mix blend of students coming from diverse regions, communities and

religions of India. They also belong to different set of age groups, such as

Undergraduate students who straightway after school enter the IIT system at an

average age of 17 - 18 years along with comparatively older students including

post graduates and PHD students.

• As a result the institute has to provide basic infrastructure to meet the necessities

of the residents of the campus such as hospitals, banks, groceries stores etc.

• Since students are away from home and staying in hostels it becomes the sole

responsibility for the Institute to cater to their daily requirements of food

• Food thus becomes one of the key and basic amenity for all campus residents..



Eating Zones of IIT

Eating Inside the Campus

Eating Outside the Campus



Eating Zones of IIT'ians

Coffee and Tea outlets

Lipton and Nescafe for quick bites

Holistic Centre and Sip and Bite

Preferred mainly by the Boys and staff

UT

H C

afé

FX

Foo

d C

ou

rt, op

en

din

ing

sp

ace

, pre

ferre

d in

eve

nin

g, o

ne

ca

n e

ve

n o

rde

r with

in th

e c

am

pu

s.

Inside Campus



Holistic Food Centre • Holistic food Center is located within the IIT Campus and is a prominent place for

both faculty and students for eating and drinking

• According to Proprietor Mr. Neeraj whom I interviewed, special care is taken to

serve hot, fresh and organic food since most of the consumers are students,

serving nutritional food along with good taste is the main priority of the centre

• The Fruit Juices are served from fresh seasonal fruits and are procured from

nearby fresh fruit markets. They are highly enjoyed by the campus residents.

• Indian Bread like Roti, Paranthas is prepared from fresh and organic wheat flour.

Beans, soya, spinach and gram are mixed with the wheat to increase its nutritional

value and taste.

• Only vegetarian food is served and the centre is open till late night around 11:00

p.m.

• Lunch is the most sought out meal, and even south Indian food is also served at

the centre. The South Indian snack items are cherished by all e.g. idli, vadas and

sambhar (south Indian snack items).

• The entire working of this centre is explained in a chart in the next slide.

• The waste like fruit peels and other kitchen waste are collected by the waste

pickers or by waste collecting agencies.

Inside Campus



Some Eating Zones for IIT’ians Outside Campus

SDA Market Opposite main IIT Gate, popular market place witth

cafeterias, fast food joints like Subway etc.

Parathanwalla, Dhabas: Small eat out joint serving stuffed low cost paranthas,

idnian fleat bread stuffed with potatoes, egss, vegeatables

etc

Maggi Outlet

Near boy’s hostel gate serve famous “maggi” 2 min. Ready to eat

noodles.



The Hostel Eating System

IIT Hostels : An overview

Hostel Eating System : Unique Case of Hostel Mess



IIT Hostels : An overview

• There are 11 hostels, named after famous Indian

Mountain Ranges.

• 9 Boys Hostels: Kumaon, Vindhyanchal, Shivalik,

Jwalamukhi, Aravali, Karakoram, Zanskar, Satpura

and Nilgiri.

• 2 Girls Hostels: Himadri and Kailash.

• Nalanda residence: for Married students living with their

spouses and children.

• Capacity varies from 400 to 180 students (each hostel).

• For the Purpose of this Learning Resource, Case Study

of 4 Hostels of IIT Delhi has been examined.

• 2 Girls Hostels : Himadri and Kailash and 2 Boys hostels

: Vindhaychal and Zanskar



IIT Hostels

• Hostels provide a comparative view in the following areas

a. Diverse eating habits amongst girls & boys, graduates &

post graduates, married & unmarried students.

b. Food service, consumption and ordering in the hostels

varies in terms of

i. Hostel Size and Capacity : Vindhaychal and

Himadri are relatively smaller hostels with a

capacity of 180 students whereas Kailash and

Zanskar are large hostels with overall 500

students

ii. Organizational set up : Private ownership v/s

Institutional ownership . Himadri is the only hostel

having a private contractor, in the following slides

differences in the consumption and eating

procedures practiced within Himadri as compared to

the other hostels are explained in different contexts.



The Unique Case of the Hostel Mess

• The word “mess” originates form Old

French word “mess” meaning a

portion of food, originally "a course of

a meal put on the table”.

• The concept of Mess denotes a place

where group of people eat together.

• Each IIT hostel is provided with a Mess

where students eat their meals.

• The Hostel Mess are owned by the IIT

institute.

• One of the Girl’s Hostel Mess is

Subcontracted to a private contractor.



Significance of Hostel Mess

• Hostel becomes the Home for students for a duration of four to five years.

• As a result, Consumption of food by the students largely takes place inside the mess of

the hostels.

• Food becomes as an essential part of their being, mess is perceived as a facility but

becomes a core necessity.

• The Mess system of eating compiels the students to sit together with other students over

meals. Mess is a Zone of Socialization and Rejuvenation for the students along with their

peers after their hectic study and work schedule.

Mess Management

• The Hostel and Mess Management is a Democratic Set up, as student representatives

hold important positions and take part in active decision making regarding the hostels.

• The very existence of a Mess Secretary clearly shows how food and eating is a core &

sensitive issue amongst hostel residents.

• A special Hostel Website is dedicated as an online forum to discuss various issues of the

hostel, Mess Food is one of the central amongst all others.



Hostel President (Dean of Students)

Associate Dean

(Dean of Students)

Asst. Registrar (Student Affairs)

Hostel Warden (Faculty Member)

Mess Secretary

Hostel Residents

Mess Supervisor

Mess in charge Team of workers

Hostel Management

Mess Committee



Mess Eating System

The Meals

• Extensive system of Serving Food, hardly

any large gaps between the meal timings.

• Food is Served at Breakfast, Afternoon,

Dinner. Food is served both in a buffet

style and at the table.

• Extra Messing is a Snack time for students

served along with evening tea and coffee

which is provided by the mess between 4:30 –

5:00.

• Food items like biscuits, burgers, sandwiches,

chips are served during this time but have to

be purchased by the students.

.



Mess Eating System

• Night Messing is during exam times food

such as paranthas, omelet bread with

scrambled eggs are served between 10 – 12

:30..

• Lunch is the most preferred meal for the

students especially for the undergraduates

and Breakfast for the Postgraduates

• Bread and Jam is standard for breakfast in all

the hostels and Rice is standard in Lunch and

Dinner for all days.

• Simple Meals are also prepared by the mess

on request if a student falls ill or otherwise.



Mess Meal Timings

Meal Type Weekday Timing Weekend Timing

BREAKFAST (inclusive of morning tea)

07:30 a.m – 09:00 a.m 08: 00 a.m – 09:30 a.m

LUNCH 12:00 a.m – 01:45 p.m 12:00 p.m – 01:30 p.m

EVENING TEA (Extra Messing)

04:30 p.m – 05:30 p.m 04:00p.m – 05:00 p.m

DINNER 07:00 p.m – 08:30 p.m 07:00 p.m – 08:30 p.m

NIGHT MESS (Exam time)

10 :00 p.m – 12:30 p.m 11:00 p.m - 12:00 p.m

10:00 p.m – 12 :30 p.m 11:00 p.m - 12:00 p.m

* Winters timings differs by one hour



Mess Eating System

Payment Mechanism

A Mess fee is deducted from the Students account for every semester.

It is paid through a form available from Catering/Mess Supervisor of the hostel, which transfers the money from the students' account in State Bank of India, IIT Delhi branch to the hostel's mess account

The mess fee varies from hostel to hostel.

Food Coupon are also utilized by the students at the time of Extra Messing (the Evening Tea)

Food Coupon is a small booklet of Rs 250 (per semester) includes coupons ranging from Rs1, Rs 2 and Rs 5.

In the Himadri Hostel which is Subcontracted apart from the Mess fee a student has to pay for non vegetarian food meals.

Outsiders can also eat in the mess by paying cash per meal costs around Rs 50 ( Less than One Euro)



A Typical Mess Thali

This is a Vegetarian Thali served at Lunch

Average meal costs to 39 to 50 Rs (Per day) less than a Euro



Facilities in the Mess

• The Hostel Mess is situated inside the

hostel building.

• Food Preparation, Storage and Eating are

not dispersed around the campus they are

centrally situated in one building but with

different sections.

• There is a Cold Room, Storage Room and

the Mess Kitchen

• Demands of facilities, like new equipments

are put forward by the Mess Secretary after

consulting with the Mess supervisor for e.g.

in girls hostel the need for a hand blender

was realized by the mess secretary

• Certain equipments are provided by

centralized administration and the “on

demand equipments” have to be approved

by the DDF funding body

• Chef along with 14 workers doing morning.

evening shift work in the mess

House Secretary Mohit Khatir showing

Cold Room for perishable items and

dairy products

Storage room for dry items likes wheat, rice, spices etc



Roti/Indian Bread Maker in the Mess Kitchen



Tandoor : oven used

for baking & cooking Equipment making rice paste,

pulses used in South Indian

meals like dosa (rice pan

cakes), vadas.

Cutlery is washed and reused and is served at the counter

Mess Equipments

Cooking Equipments South Indian

food and North Indian food

respectively.



Sources of Food Supply

1. HOSTEL RESIDENTS

• Food Supplying Agencies varies for every hostel

• The STFC (Supply Finalization Cell of IIT Admin.) decides the agencies that will be

responsible for supplying the food items to the hostels.

• The Mess Secretary of every Hostel provides the List of Specific food items required

by the hostel residents at the Mess Committee meeting.

• The Mess Supervisor is responsible for ordering of food to the agencies depending

on the stock and the consumption for e.g In Kailash Hostel the ordering is done 3

times a Week by the Mess Supervisor.

• The bill brought by the agency needs a sign of any Hostel Resident to confirm

correct price & quantity and goes to the Mess Secretary for cross checking in case

of errors are committed by the students

• Some Agencies Supplying Food to the Hostels.:

NAFED National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India -

Eggs Supply and Poultry

Durga Sweets – deserts, ice creams.

Kendriya Bhandar- Dry items like wheat, rice, pluses, spices etc.

Private Contractor – his own agency providing deserts (for Girls Hostel)



Sources of Food Supply … 2. CAMPUS RESIDENTS

• Sabziwallas or Vegetable vendors come inside

the campus to sell vegetables.

• Mother Dairy, Kendriya Bhandar are

Government Agencies that exists inside the

campus for dairy products and dry food item

purchasing.

• Local shops and Groceries inside IIT Campus

also exists and are meant for immediate food

supply.

• However for major food supply the residents

have to depend on outside markets that are

located outside the campus.

• This is mainly done as the markets operating

within the campus usually have less variety,

sometimes there exists a shortage of food

items, certain specific food items have to be

brought from outside the campus.



Culture of Food amongst Students

1. Regional Diversity

• IIT is a fascinating replica of a ‘Mini India’

• Students belonging to different communities and regions are representations of different cuisine cultures of India.

• The Mess Menu (see next slide) is prepared by the Mess Secretary : a student elected by other fellow resident students through a system of voting.

• This democratic system ensures the Mess Secretary to maintain the regional diversity in the food served at the mess.

• Therefore in some hostels like the girl’s South Indian meals items are kept for breakfast, in boys hostels this meal is served for specific days in a week and so on.

• Rice: a staple food item of South Indians is included in the menu for all days, especially during Lunch which is the most sought out meal time for the students.

• Mess Festivals organized by the students of every hostel is one such occasion where the regional variety of cuisines are showcased.

• Mess Secretary usually invites different caterers or chefs to prepare popular dishes and meals for one week belonging to different regions of India for the students



Typical Menu of an IIT Hostel



2. Religious Diversity

• Mess Menu is symbol of showcasing the wide dietary patterns amongst students.

• Despite living away from their homes the Cultural Values attributed towards food are very strongly imbibed amongst the students

• One of the main food values observed strictly by them is that of Vegetarianism.

• India Vegetarian culture is complex yet it is liked broadly with religious absenteeism and non violence (ahimsa).

• Ancient Religious texts like the Laws of Manu (V,27-56),, Dhramashartra, Arthshastra prohibits eating of meat & lay exceptional cases in consumption of meat (Zimmerman,1999)

• Gradually these religious codes over dietary patterns penetrated into the various Strata's/Castes of the Hindu Society.

• It was prohibited for the Dominant Castes like Brahmins to eat meat as they were actually responsible in imparting knowledge to the society through these texts. It was considered impure to eat meat and then touch these religious texts.

• Religions like Jainism with core beliefs of non violence , no killing & eating of animals are even today strictly practiced by their followers in large numbers.

• In modern times Mahatma Gandhi propagated Vegetarianism by co linking with Non violence and spiritual cleansing, as a practitioner he also showed that vegetarianism not only served oneself morally but also materially/ economically (Gandhi, 1959).

• Fasting and Fruit based diet was also advocated by him, fasting however is generally observed by many people belonging to various religions (Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and also Muslims) of India.



• Therefore Vegetarianism in the Mess is dealt methodically

and with great sensitivity.

• Mess Kitchen has Separate Non Vegetarian Counters.

• Specific Days of the week are assigned for inclusion of Non

vegetarian food items, for e.g. Boys Hostel :- Mon – Wed –

Fri, Girls Hostel :- Wed and Sun or only One Day in a week

either for Dinner or Breakfast.

• This is also due to the fact that overall boys consume

more meat than girls. The 2 Specific Days assigned for

Non Veg food items in the Boys hostel have to be

weekdays as in weekends most of them leave for their

homes.

.

•

• Many students do not consume non veg. on Tuesday and

Thursdays

• For Girl’s Hostel like Himadri (privately subcontracted) a

separate register is maintained to demarcate vegetarian and

non vegetarian students.

•Non vegetarian meals or food items have to be paid

separately which gets deducted from their next semester fees.

•Fasting is observed by many students both Hindus and

Muslims

• Special food items are prepared for students which is

vegetarian, without onions and garlic and accordingly.



Gender Diversity

A. Case of Pantry Kitchen

• Designed exclusively for the Girls hostel..

• Pantry has all the main cooking utensils, including hot plates, gas, oven etc.

• Facility to come and cook their own food on their own in the pantry.

• Existence of Pantry is guided by several factors :

• Cultural Fact: women would use more pantry, as there are married women who will

associate themselves with cooking.

• Social and Economics: food items for pantry are not borne under the Mess Budget a

student has to go and buy his own food items at his own cost. Therefore students whose

economics conditions are good or also who have the knowledge of cooking would go for the

option of pantry. Also unlike the Mess Kitchen, they have to clean the utensils after their

use.

• Operational Factors: mainly used by Postgraduate students due to their flexible time

schedule, one assumption can also be made that older students and married students and

would have more experience in cooking or the necessity of cooking as compared to the

unmarried and younger ones. This is largely observed in the Kailash Girls Hostel.



Gender Diversity B. Outside Dhaba/ Stalls

• Dhabas are local roadside restaurants operating mostly 24/7

• Boys usually like to consume food here, also linked to the financial aspects i.e. they have greater economic independence than girls, most of them even work as part timers in some organizations during vacations.

• Social Aspect is that boys have higher mobility than girls during the evening hours.

• Even though IIT has a community lifestyle many parents of the girls do not approve them to go out in the nights which is observed mostly by them even during their time at the hostel.

C. Cultural Festivals at IIT

• Opportunity for socialization over food and eating.

• Informal Dinners :- during House Days, BHM night and STIC (student teacher interaction committee)

• Special food rates for these occasions are approved by the Dean of Students ranging from Rs 80 - Rs 90 per plate

• Largest Cultural festival like Rendezvous organized at the Institutional level have food stalls from outside campus, many food joints put up their stall in the campus

Rendezvous

Cultural Festival



Gender Diversity

Boys

Attend the Mess depending upon the

Menu of the Day or specific timings.

Major Consumers of Food.

More % of Non vegetarians

No Pantry Kitchen

Conscious over the Variety of food

being served at the Mess.

Discussions are done more over the

changes that should be brought in

the mess menu.

Most of them found the mess food a

bit monotonous and boring.

For e.g. they blame the Mess

Secretary for pulling out such a bad

menu and demand to make

necessary changes

Girls

Most of them like to consume meal at

the Mess.

Prefer to spend less money on food

outside.

Comparatively Less number of Non

Veg.

Existence of Pantry : cultural fact

Keep a Quality control check of the

food served at the mess.

Special interest over food that is being

served and cooked in the mess, some

of them volunteer to do so.

Strong applied knowledge of food

cooking and preparation.

For e.g. One of the girls hostel

changed their wheat supplier as the

quality of wheat was poor



Boys

Are conscious but most prefer the

dhaba style of food.

For e.g. They like going to road side

dhabas where they can get good

stuffed paranthas.

Out of campus Ordering is more e.g.

dabba systems from restaurant like

Little Punjab or dhaba like Trunk

house/ Lakhan, pizzas from Dominoes

etc.

Consume more food coupon booklets

for extra messing and night messing

especially during the exam times

Girls

Health conscious towards food.

For e.g. many of the girls complain on

serving fried potatoes, prefer less

potatoes in meals, demand for more

food variety to be incorporated in the

menu.

Comparatively less ordering is done

from outside. even if it is done only

between time 7:30 p.m to 9:00 p.m

One food booklet for the girls extends

for the entire semester.



Areas of Concern Possible PSS Design Initiatives:

1. Waste Management:

• Unlike in the past, at present there exist no

system of waste management,

• In Boys hostel the kitchen waste is about 20 –

30 % (fig. provided by mess sec.)

• Students have installed a Waste Measuring

machine.

• In girls hostel some student volunteers are kept

to check on the waste.

• Mess Secretary proposed inclusion of some

plastic buckets to collect waste which was not

approved by the authorities.

• Students feel strongly over the issue of the

waste but find it difficult to have a system which

is cost effective and less hazardous for the

authorities.



Areas of Concern for Mess

2. Storage System :-

• Problem of storing personal food is strongly faced by the students.

• The shelves of cupboard are very tiny and small.

• Cupboards do no have Personal Space for students.

• Shelves have no air space therefore difficult to keep perishable food items

3. Dabba System of Ordering

• Boys suggested that a system of ordering food like the Dabbawallas could also

start within the campus

• In order to have homemade food

• Being a residential campus a system of involving the residents into cooking and

supplying food to the students could be evolved.

• Some of them are already practicing this on a small scale.



References

• Gandhi, M.K .The Moral Basis of Vegetarianism. Compile by Ramchandra

Krishna Prabhu. Ahmedabad. Navjivan Publishing House: 1988. c1959 4-34

• Zimmerman Francis. The Jungle and the Aroma of Meats : An ecological theme

in Hindu Medicine. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidas Publishers, 1999.

• IIT Hostel Map Source : http://<www.iitd.ac.in>

• Mess Menu : Provided by Ms. Mughda Saxena Mess Secretary Himadri Hostel.

• Mess Kitchen Photographs permitted by Mohit Suri House Secretary Zanskar

Hostel.

• Holistic food centre Details taken from Mr. Neeraj (proprietor)



http://www.iitd.ac.in/

eating habits of iit delhi

Documents