Mumbai: College canteen staffs rendered unemployed, forced to return home as pandemic rages on

Germaine Talker, who ran the college canteen at St Andrew’s College, decided to retain all her staff and employed them at her new cafe, Kate’s Kaffe in Santa Cruz

Snacking on a sandwich, dosa or frankie in college, and indulging in small talk with the "canteen bhaiyya" is something we will always remember about college life. However, with schools and colleges remaining shut for over a year due to the pandemic-induced lockdown, the canteen staff working in these educational institutes has been conveniently ignored. Many of them have been jobless for over a year, and are struggling to make ends meet. Some have resigned to their fate, and returned to their hometowns.

Canteen staff member Tapan Kumar Das is among those employed at the cafe. Pic/Shadab Khan

"We all thought we would resume work soon," says Ravi Shetty, canteen manager at Xavier's Institute of Engineering, Mahim. "But, two months into the pandemic, we discovered that we had lost our jobs. The entire hospitality industry came to a halt, and things haven't improved since. I had a team of five boys, who would assist me in the college kitchen, but after applying for jobs elsewhere and failing to find any, they decided to return to their village. I'm still unemployed, and one of my cooks, desperate for money, has taken a job as a painter on construction sites."

Krunal Jayprakash Bhuvad, 30, who worked at the tea and coffee counter at St Xavier's College Autonomous, Fort, says that the lockdown hit him hard. "When I was working, I would contribute to my family's income. But, after I lost my job, we were barely surviving on the small pension my mother received. I recently got a job as a security guard in a Dombivli society. My pay is low, but I no longer feel helpless, and can support my family."

Krunal Jayprakash Bhuvad used to work at a stall at St Xavier's College, Fort, before the lockdown

Some like Germaine Talker, who runs the St Andrew's College canteen in Bandra, has been trying to financially support her staff, and help them tide through the difficult period. Just before the first lockdown, Talker had rented a new place in Santa Cruz to open her own café. When the college canteen she had been running for over six years shut down, she decided to open the café, she has named Kate's Kaffe.

Most of her staff at the canteen had returned to their village. But, Talker decided to call them back and hired them at her new place. "I asked if they would mind assisting me at the café, and a majority of them agreed," says Talker, adding that it was a win-win situation for everyone.