A feeling of bonhomie

The students of MS Ramaiah College of Hotel Management were in for a real treat with a cake-mixing ceremony held in anticipation of Christmas recently. The centuries-old tradition of mixing dry fruits to honour the god of agriculture was replicated on campus, where staff members and a few students ushered in the spirit of Christmas and bonhomie with the ritual.

Piles of colourful dry fruits like black raisins, almonds, cashews, walnuts, dates, Pecan nuts, orange peel, black currant and prunes were laid on a table. The participants, looking festive in their aprons and hats, excitedly mixed the fruits and soaked them in alcohol, like rum and brandy, among other things as is done for the much-awaited Christmas desserts.

These were then put away in a proper manner for a couple of weeks before the mix is used for baking. The fruits, when soaked in liquor, develop a rich and tasty flavour, which will be used to make the delicious Christmas cakes and puddings by the students
themselves.

Symbolically, principal Abby Mathew and the Academic Head Neena Joshi were also present on the occasion and joined in the cake-mixing ceremony. This was because at the college, it is customary for the hotel management department to send out these beautifully decorated cakes with Christmas greetings and New Year wishes to all the  heads of departments  and colleges at the GEF and the MSR campus.

Neville Christopher, a seventh-semester student of the college, was extremely excited about the entire process. “Personally, my Christmas joy begins with the fruit-mixing ceremony at college. This is an annual tradition that my friends and I are always a part of. It’s a really warm welcome to the festive season,” he shares.

 Divya Kalro, his batch-mate, adds, “Christmas becomes extra-special for me every year with our fruit-mixing ceremony on campus. The students truly enjoy the warm camaraderie that we share with each other during the ceremony, with fellow students, our faculty members and above all, our principal.”

Sree Sudha, a third-semester student, says, “The ceremony is really a pleasure. I can’t wait to get my hands into the piles of fruits and savour the rich and heady aroma as we all join in. There is so much laughter and joy on the occasion. I believe that is the reason our college’s Christmas cakes taste so good!”