15th July 2009 - The Scindia School

Fort FablesDining HallThe way to a boy’s heart is through his stomach - a maxim well understood by the School. The delectableconcoctions served in the dining hall go a long way in facilitating the settlement of the homesick boys. Rightfrom its inception, the dining experience in school has undergone various changes. From caste based dininghalls to formal sit down meals to the age of self service-it has always remained in tune with the times.In the early 1930’s and 1940’s there were two dining halls. In one the evening meal, served on patras, washad in Indian style by the boys dressed in spotless white kurta and pyjama. In the other, the morning mealwas served in European style so that the boys had an opportunity to learn European manners. The boys, whowere used to eating in the traditional style with their fingers, were exposed to the concept of using knife andfork for the first time after a visit to Lahore and Sialkot in the year 1938.As the strength of the School increased, Senior mess A, Senior mess B and a mess for the Junior School cameup. The dining arrangements underwent various changes till the year 2004 when the present 800 seaterdining hall was formally inaugurated. It had initially been planned near the erstwhile Junior School barracksbut later the site shifted adjacent to the Madhav playfield, a more central location. It displays a markedadvancement from the primitive kitchens of the earlier times. Equipped with deep freezers, food processors,ovens, gigantic grinding devices and other gadgets it is able to satisfy the culinary requirements of the boyswith ease.One dish which evokes tremendous nostalgia is Saada - a potato curry that was staple fare at all dinners. Itstill exists in an entirely new avatar as unlike earlier times now one can actually see potatoes in it.The meals served in the mess have been thoughtfully planned keeping in mind the culinary preferences of theboys and also to meet their nutritional requirements. However the ever hungry and ingenious boys are adeptat dishing out many a gourmet’s delight in the stealth of the night. Quite often this is done with the help ofthe ingredients taken away from the school mess in capacious pockets.The dining hall has often proved to be the ground for settling scores with teachers and seniors by tamperingwith their food. Naseer Ahmad (Ex Rn ’86) remembers how he poured a fistful of salt in the dal and passedit to the School Prefect whom he disliked. In a similar vein Mayank Bindal (Ex Ja ’93 ) remembers how hewould repeatedly take the Gulab Jamun served to a particular teacher, break the same, remove part of theinside and stuff it with big blocks of salt. The hapless teacher got into the habit of completely dissecting hisGulab Jamun before eating it.One can also find numerous instances of boys bartering goodies on the dining table.Though sumptuous meals are served everyday yet attending the grand Scholars’ and Sports banquet whichare held to honour the students who have excelled in academics and sports remains the dream of eachScindian.Good food remains the weakness of each Scindian yet there have been times when they have voluntarily gonewithout it. During the 1965 war the boys observed fast in the evenings in response to an appeal made by thethen Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.The popularity of the food served in the mess can be gauged from the fact that when asked which thing aboutschool should never change quite a few boys mentioned the name of Mr. Deepak Tandon, the efficient andaffable utility manager who supervises the mess.The Scindia SchoolThe Fort, Gwalior - 474008.MP, INDIA.Telephone : +91-751-2480750Fax : +91-751-2480650E-mail : office@scindia.eduWebsite : www.scindia.edu