Highly-qualified youth dish out recipes for cook jobs at BCM Hostels

Mysuru: Nala, a character in the Hindu mythology, is considered the original chef. However, these days the eyeball grabbing reality show is the MasterChef India (the country’s biggest cooking competition show), where there is intense competition to participate in the audition and only the best will be selected for the show.

However, because of the dearth in jobs, the reality for the youth who are looking for them to make a livelihood is completely different. Even though the minimum qualification for the job of a cook in the hostel is SSLC, sadly more than half the applicants for even such posts are either graduates or post-graduates and some even with BE or MBA degrees.

This was the scene at the three-day practical tests for selection of cooks and assistant cooks to the Social Welfare and BCM (Backward Classes and Minorities) hostels, at the Nanjaraja Bahadur Choultry here, which began yesterday.

In all, there are 58 cooks posts vacant in the BCM hostels, and 92 assistant cook posts in the same Department. In the Social Welfare Department Hostels, there are just 32 assistant cook posts vacant. Nearly 6,500 people had applied. In the first stage under the 1:5 ratio, many applications were rejected. In the second round under the 1:3 ratio, the practical tests are being conducted for 450 aspirants.

The tests began yesterday for the post of BCM cooks where two or three engineering graduates also cooked. Today the practical tests are being held for BCM assistant cooks and tomorrow it will be for assistant cooks in the Social Welfare Department hostels. The gas stove, vessels, water and necessary ingredients are all provided. The candidate has to come and pick up a token in which the name of the dish to be cooked will be written. The recipes could be chapatti, kesari bath, vegetable palya or other simple dishes normally served in the hostels.

The candidate moves to the table that has all the materials and under the watchful eye of 21 judges that include seven expert chefs from private hotels, seven cooks from Akshara Dasoha and seven Principals from Morarji Desai Residential Schools, starts preparing the dish. It has to be prepared in half-an-hour. The judges will award marks and the results declared at a later stage.

The whole process of selection is very transparent as CCTV cameras have been installed and the whole test is being videographed. Apart from the overqualified aspirants, there were also physically-challenged and even a visually-impaired seen appearing for the test. The visually-impaired is given assistance to take part in the practical test. While the salary for a cook is Rs. 16,000, the salary for an assistant cook is Rs. 15,000.

Meanwhile, it was a sad spectacle to see the photograph (in a State newspaper) of a Mechanical engineer appearing for the test in Bagalkot, squatting on the floor to prepare the dish. Unlike, the unsavoury conditions there the officials in Mysuru had made proper arrangements in the huge Nanjaraj Bahadur Choultry for the applicants to test their culinary skills.

Food and Civil Supplies Deputy Director Dr. K. Rameshwarappa and BCM District Officer G.S. Somashekar were also present.