After cutting a 2,807-kg cake, organisers of an Ambedkar function at Balgandharva Rangmandir hall in Pune left the venue with cake strewn all over
Pune: An event held in the hall of Balgandharva Rangmandir ended on a 'dirty' note. Two professors and 12 students of a Pune-based management college had organised a function there to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar on April 14.
Footprints on the mudpack-like cake paste on the floor
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The plan included Girish Bapat, Cabinet Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, Food and Drugs Administration, cutting of cake, that weighed 2,807 kilograms. Cleaning the hall was also a part of their itinerary, but since they failed to do it, the cream of the cake formed a mudpack-like paste on the floor. The mess further delayed the event scheduled for the next day.
The mess being cleaned up after the event
"On Thursday, we visited the hall so that we could start our preparation for the exhibition scheduled from Friday. We arrived around 8 pm and were asked to wait. The cake distribution went on till late evening. After the event, the organisers left without cleaning it. When we asked the caretaker about cleaning the hall, he too was clueless. The cleaning process went on till 2 pm on Friday, thus delaying our event," said Sangeeta Mahajan, mentor of Nagpur's 4th Dimension photographers club, which was to hold the exhibition from April 15-17.
The 2,807-kg cake dedicated to Dr B R Ambedkar
The cake, sized 1,760 square feet, dedicated to the father of Indian Constitution, was made in 88 hours, using proper preservatives by the student-organisers of the Maharashtra State Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology.
Post the event, the stale leftovers of the cake left an incorrigible stink which was tough to get rid of. Bharat Kumawat, director of Balgandharva Kaladalan, said, "It is the responsibility of the the ones, who book the hall, to make sure the premises are clean. We are planning to take stringent action against them (the organisers). We also plan to not repay the deposit amount that they had submitted at the time of booking."
The venue is under the Pune Municipal Corporation. Mayor Prashant Jagtap inspected the area and took note of the issues.
"We shall soon appoint a supervisor who will take care of the premises so that these circumstances are avoided in the future. We will also make sure the ones who book the hall also clean it," added Jagtap.
The other side
The organising students and the professors belonged to the catering department of the insitution.
Rahul Wairal, coordinator of the organising students, said, "Prior to leaving the premises after the event, we had given money to the caretaker and the cleaning staff who had assured us that they will clean the hall. We are not negligent of our responsibilities."
A bakery run by Dharmanath Gaikwad, professor and head of the event, made the cake. It took him, his son and the students three days to make the cake.
"The crowd that had gathered to get a piece of the cake went out of control. We had put a lot of effort into making the cake, so we did not want to waste it but we were not aware that things would turn this ugly. We are not at fault," said Gaikwad.
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