Annual Awards 2018

February 05, 2018

Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration (WGSHA), a constituent unit of Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, celebrated the college’s Annual Awards Ceremony on February 5, 2018 at Fortune Inn Valley View, Manipal in presence of Chief Guest, Mrs. Benita Sharma, Area Manager, Golden Triangle & General Manager – Sheraton New Delhi Hotel, Hotels Division, ITC Limited, Mrs Vasanti R Pai, first lady of Manipal and Chairperson, MAHE Hostel Management Committee, Mrs Poornima Baliga, Pro Vice Chancellor (Health Sciences), Mr. Rajen Padukone, Group President, Manipal Education & Medical Group, Dr Narayana Sabhahit, Registrar, MAHE and other senior MAHE Officials.

Principal of WGSHA, Prof. Parvadhavardhini Gopalakrishnan welcomed the dignitaries and guests and also presented the annual report for the year 2017-18, where she highlighted the college’s events and achievements during the year; awards and prizes won by students in sports, cultural and other extra-curricular competitions; guests visits; conferences and workshops organized by the college; faculty publications and accolades etc.

Mrs. Benita Sharma, the Chief Guest, in her address inspired the students on how to go out and win the world. She shared her rich experiences in the industry which have helped her to achieve the heights. Her messages would go a long way to facilitate the students’ understanding of the industry. She also complimented WGSHA and Manipal University, appreciating the professionalism and enthusiasm visible among the students.

The important award winners of the evening were ITC Fellowship Awardees - Mr Malshe Rohit Sanjay, Mr Deepak D Viswanath, Ms Darshana Gopinath and Ms Pooja R Ankolekar; Chef Vikas Khanna Rolling Trophy - Ms Rashmi G R, instituted to honour a girl child with an excellent academic record in the field of culinary; Best Outgoing student of BHM - Ms Darshana Gopinath, Best Outgoing student of BA (Culinary Arts) - Ms. Amritha Ravi, Best Outgoing Student of MSc Dietetics and Applied Nutrition – Ms Rhea Katherine Dsouza, Best Outgoing Student of MSc Hospitality and Tourism Management - Ms Athira Rajagopal V. and Best Outgoing Students of Bachelor of Hotel Management, Travel & Tourism – Ms Mehak Mann and Mr Syed Yasin.

Other notable awards of the ceremony included Good Teacher Award won by Chef Manoj Belwal, Assistant Professor, Department of Food & Beverage Management, Ricky Victor D’Souza Memorial Award for overall excellence in Food and Beverage Production and Prof. Trevor Devas Cash Prize’ for Highest marks in Entrepreneurship both won by Mr Malshe Rohit Sanjay of BHM, G. Sathyavathi Award for the university topper in B.A. (Culinary Arts) won by Ms Avanthi which included a cash prize of Rs.15,000/- and a certificate, Best Sportsperson of the year- Female- Ms Darshana Gopinath and Best Sportsperson of the year- Male - Md. Adnan of BHM.

The ITC Distinguished Alumnus Award 2018 was presented to Ms Sarina Menezes, Vice-President - Sales and Marketing, Khanna Hotels Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, an alumna of the 4th Course of WGSHA. In her acceptance speech, she recalled her fond memories of her college days and appreciated the tremendous growth and development in WGSHA and Manipal University. She also mentioned that Principal Prof. Paravadhavardhini was her inspiration in life.

A spectacular cultural performance followed the awards, where the students and faculty members of the college displayed a magical performance based on ‘Alice in wonderland’. Aalia the main cast, finally finds her match, the prince, through colourful and popular dance sequences mesmerizing the audience till the grand show came to splendid finale.

The entertainment programme was followed by a delicious dinner prepared by young student chefs of the college. This year’s theme was “Cuisine of Palaces”. The theme depicted the story of how monarchs have influenced the taste buds of people in India and visitors from other countries. The chefs recreated the culinary delights that were relished in the palaces of the Maharajas. The food counters were divided into five regions, namely - North, South, East, West, and Central. The food depicts the preparations made for the King and his guests.

In the Northern Region, the palaces included were Hawa Mahal - Jaipur, Jahangir Mahal -Agra, and Amar Mahal –Jammu. They had royal chefs in their kitchen who were the experts in blending spices and had a classic touch in cooking and presentation of food. In the Southern Region, the palaces included were Falaknuma Palace- Hyderabad, Amba Vilas Palace- Mysore, and Chettinad Palace- Tamilnadu where every dish was cooked with authenticity and attention to detail. In the Eastern Region, the palaces included were Hazarduari Palace- Murshidabad, Nargona Palace- Darbhanga, and Ujjayanta Palace –Agartala where the food had the influence of the royals of their respective regions and also the British rulers. In the Western Region, the palaces included were Lakshmi Vilas Palace- Vadodara, Umaid Bhawan Palace- Jodhpur, and Chatrapthi Shahu Maharaj Mahal – Kolhapur. The central region included Mansingh Palace –Ajmer, Rajwada Palace- Indore and Jahaz Mahal – Mandu.