PEOPLES’s inspiration

“It’s not the load that breaks you down

 It’s the way you carry it “ -Lena Horne

While we started visiting the local site seeing places in Manali (old Manali to be specific) we got so tired due to the bumps, pot holes and high acclivity of the terrain. We needed some place for refreshing. To our surprise there were no restaurants in visible range. When we enquired with the local people, a finger was pointed towards a dilapidated, orderly arranged pile of asbestos sheets beyond the road’s curvature.

“PEOPLE” a multi colored board welcomed us. The hotel was special and that made me write this blog. It was so special not because of the food, taste or design. You need to read till the end to find out.

A few Students of a reputed institution in Himachal Pradesh (name not to mentioned as per their request) after their course completion found their own way of livelihood. After graduation these younger generation students decided to do something unusual instead of joining some nearby companies and getting a month end salary; something like the best selling novel ‘ 3 mistakes of my life’. They wanted to do some business in their locality (Manali). Tourism was the only option they were left with because of their location. They decided to start something that serves the tourists and attracts them in a better manner -Something where the input, problems and side effects are minimum and the output is maximum to make a better gain, Something that is season independent, so that their growth doesn’t rely on any external sources.

FOOD..

..was a good option that satisfied all the above conditions. One among the aspirants had a barren land cornered to the main road that led to all the local sightseeing places. FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE is rightly said. Luckily they had their own tools and it was enough to weed and level the ground. Nothing but a wooden skeleton with two central concrete pillars constituted the overall design resulting in an enlarged hut (you can imagine how a fourth standard student will draw his/her dream house if asked to). A local small scale industry was conducive enough to provide asbestos sheets for housing. Thus the dilapidated structure for the most wanted horror movie shooting was ready (the structure is not strong enough to withstand a 3 Richter quake). They somehow managed to cover the walls with color cloths covering fluorescent and incandescent bulbs in a palatable fashion.

A local SAW mill’s waste and other products were made into chairs and tables. Chart papers as bulb housing, empty coke bottles into flower vases, tiny mud pots for salt and pepper and apart from them a wifi router that gratified the aesthetic quotient of the hotel.

But the best part was that the customers were provided with crayons, color pencils and sketches along with chart papers. After ordering, they were free to sketch anything they wished, while waiting. Abstract images, scenic landscapes, textures..Whatever came to their mind. If you refused to draw you would loose the concession they provided while billing. So you would be forced to get entertained instead of lurking in your hunger with a blushed face possessing a sardonic smile till you get what you ordered.

All completed portraits will be given a place on their walls. Once the wall was filled, the best among the new ones replaced the worst among the existing one ( Luckily my Nikon portrait got a place).

They were amateur servers but they didn’t compromise the taste.

They were not destined to do catering. They started it to serve them their daily bread for the time being. But someday in life these young energetic gentlemen as a group or as individuals will definitely shine in life.

 

PS: Hope I got the right title.

PPS:Gourav (M)–the chef, Prikasan(M)- hotel bearer, Quili(F)-      cook, Alexander(M)-Accounts, Margerate(F)-hotel bearer