BENGALURU: Bartending, manning the Metro, or making people groove to your tunes... As many professions become an equal playing field, CE speaks to some women who chose to walk the talk
Passion, on the rocks
Sundays are for long, lazy meals and refreshing drinks in an al-fresco setting. Just ask Devyani Nath. But unlike other 24-year-olds, this budding hospitality professional prefers to be on the other side of the bar as she shakes and stirs up a storm of flavours. Nath, who hails from Shillong, has been in Bengaluru for four years and is currently a bartender at Four Seasons Hotel. “I knew early on that bartending was my passion and I wanted to learn how to showcase my skills in it,” says the graduate of Golden Regency Institute of Hospitality Management, who entered the industry at the age of 21.
It’s no secret that the industry is demanding but Nath doesn’t mind. “Bartenders create a drink and a memory. Sundays are my favourite because we do brunches here at the hotel. And those days, it’s like I’m the magician and the brunch is my stage,” she says. A part of her other work days – which go on from 3pm to 12am – is also spent preparing for this, where each Sunday a new menu of four mocktails and six cocktails is invented by her. “If you’re passionate about something, nothing can stop you. As for safety, I know I’m in an environment where I will be well looked after,” she says. “People tend to assume this role to be only male-oriented but it’s not true. Women have been present too; it’s just that now, we’re getting the spotlight too and it’s becoming an equal playing field.”
Kitchen confidential
Women are often relegated to kitchen duties, but ironically, they rarely find a spot in the kitchen of hotels. Janti Dugal explains that the job with erratic hours is physically demanding. “It requires long hours of standing and a lot of strength, which could be taxing for men too.
The Asian kitchen means heavy-duty work and being able to handle heavy woks. Which is why most women opt for the confectionery section,” says the 58-year-old food director of Azure Hospitality that owns Sly Granny, Mamagoto, Foxtrot and Dhaba. Her role is predominantly two fold to conceptualise new recipes as well as quality control across the restaurants.
With a brigade of over 150 chefs, she believes in taking standard recipes and tweaking them with new, contrasting flavours. A self-taught chef who started off with catering in the ’80s, also doing office lunches, Dugal credits a good support system at home which let her further her career. “I never had to worry about my children since my husband and in-laws would take care of them after school hours,” says Dugal who, currently based in Delhi, travels to the city on a regular basis. “It was just easier for me since I was very passionate about food,” she says.
On track
After completing mechanical engineering in 2014, Renukamma wanted to work as a techie and support her family. But little did she know that the ‘Metro life’ would make her travel a different journey altogether. Hailing from Mugabala village in Hoskote, Renuka was among the first batch of loco pilots to join the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) in 2015. Her first trip started from Baiyappanahalli to MG Road and she continues to navigate the purple line. She traverses 40 km every day from Hoskote to work in an eight-hour shift that ends at 9.45 pm.
Recalling her first experience as a loco pilot, Renuka says, “There was only one thing on my mind – passengers’ safety. During work, the safety of 2,000 passengers is my priority.” Besides manoeuvring the train, she is fond of rangoli making and embroidery. Her talents even secured her the first place in a rangoli competition held on Women’s Day last year. Come March 11, and she will mark six years of her stint with BMRCL. The one motto that keeps her going? “Public service is God service.”
Down the road
From delivering one order in one hour in 2019, to delivering an order in 15 minutes, covering 10 km, R Neelavani has come a long way. Two years after she quit her job as a office coordinator in a private company, Neelavani approached Swiggy, requesting a job as a deliveryperson. “Since I love riding, I find this very satisfying,” says the 39-year-old. Neelavani usually delivers in and around Koramangala but loves to go beyond the zone.
There are days when she covers more than 100 km a day. Her job did not initially go down well with her family, especially considering the exhausting nature of the work. However, Neelavani has proved them wrong with her commitment and passion. “I have always wondered about the lack of opportunities for women in this industry. When I joined, there were just 50 women working as delivery personnel, but now there are over 120 of us. I believe that women should be given the same opportunity as men in all workplaces,” she says.
No pausing
Ranjana Mishra doesn’t really bother about competing and performing amidst a whole lot of DJ arenas dominated by men because she believes “music has no gender”. Born and brought up in Jamshedpur, Mishra is a techno DJ who performs in Bengaluru and other cities. She started her DJ-ing journey in 2019 because of a strong inclination towards music and her bonding with many DJ friends. Mishra got her first break in Bengaluru and considers the city her turf.
“Bengaluru is very dear to me. I got my first break here and performed the opening music for an international artiste, which is a big thing for a starter.” She admits that it is a big challenge for women to become a DJ because women are defiant to take over the console. She believes it requires more power and focus to pull the crowd, which is a daunting task. “Focus and passion keep me going. If you have the talent, people will come up to you. It’s just about being the best,” she says. Mishra is currently preparing for a music festival in Goa. Ask her whether she would like to be pitted against a male DJ for a music face-off, and she says “Bring it on!”