IISWBM's canteen to get corporate look

Kolkata: India's oldest B-School Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management (IISWBM) is giving a corporate look to its canteen similar to the spirit of a refurbished appearance of Kolkata's iconic Coffee House.

"The canteen in IISWBM has been running since 1953. The quality of food is good and is served at a reasonable rate. However, we want to add some more varieties and make it at par with canteens at some leading IIMs. IISWBM is a brand in itself and my intention is to renovate the canteen in such a manner that it goes at par with the 'brand' IISWBM," Soma Bandyopadhyay, director, IISWBM said.

She, however, made it clear that a Bengali flavour and the nostalgia of the canteen will remain intact. "The prime customers are students and the menu will be served at a subsidised rate even if the canteen gets a corporate look," she added.

In recent times, a number of leading companies had come for campus interviews and food for them needed to be brought from outside. South Indian dishes were very much in demand but was not available in the canteen. The renovated canteen will have all varieties — Bengali, Chinese, South Indian, Continental etc," a senior official said. The bid for the canteen has already been invited and the institute is hopeful of finalising matters by January, following which work will start. It may be noted that the institute is trying to rope in some leading industrialists in its academic council to give a boost to its placement. IISWBM is all set to get the status of a university soon and the institute is leaving no stone unturned to ensure the best standards in terms of education as well as infrastructural upgradation. "Some new courses relevant in the present market are also being formulated and the announcement will be made shortly," he said.