Time was when at least one member from every family in Uttarakhand served in the Indian Army. Not anymore. Well-bodied young men from the hilly state are today trading the soldier's rifle and the olive green uniform for the chef's spatula and apron, choosing the kitchen over the bunker as their preferred workplace.
Leading the pack of the growing number of youth moving away from the family tradition of enlisting in the army to work as professional chefs is a cluster of four villages in Tehri district.
Scores of youth from Pangriyana, Bagar, Badyar and Sarpoli villages are today working as chefs in Japan, tasting success as they tickle the taste buds of the Japanese with mouth-watering Indian cuisine. Thanks to them, the sushi-loving Japanese are going crazy about tandoori chicken and butter naan, throwing away the stick and tucking into the Indian delicacies with bare hands.
Nearly 240 men from these villages - located in Tehri district amid deodar, rhododendron and oak forests - are at present working in foreign countries. Close to a hundred of them are working as chefs and restaurant owners in Japan. The cluster of villages is now called Uttarakhand's 'mini Japan'.
"Considering that the total population of these four villages is about 12,000, the number of youth finding placement in hotels and restaurants abroad is possibly one of the highest in the country," villager Fateh Singh Rana said.
The youth are not content with working just as chefs in Japan. Some of them have gone on to own restaurants. Jyoti Curry in Tokyo and Spice Kingdom in Osaka are among 10-odd restaurants owned by young men from these villages in Japan.
"The Japanese love tandoori chicken and butter naan. They are very friendly but a little
conservative. As a large number of villagers are at present working abroad, the sole aim of our boys is to opt for a career in the service industry," Bhagat Singh, a chef in Japan now taking a break in his village, said.
Buoyed by their success, more youngsters from Pangriyana, Bagar, Badyar and Sarpoli are preparing to go to Japan. They are confident about their prospects as they say that they have gained considerable experience working in Indian hotels and there are placement agencies that take care of the travel nitty-gritties.
Dilip Singh Negi, a government teacher in Bandiyar, informs tales of village youth tasting culinary success in Japan had fuelled a craze for hotel management courses.
"More and more boys want to pursue hotel management. Today's youth is more aware of career options," he said.
As the young men working abroad pump back money to their villages, it has brought prosperity to the places. On the surface, Pangriyana, Bagar, Badyar and Sarpoli still appear like normal villages in the hills with women busy in household and agriculture work and men busy in the fields or feeding domestic animals, but villagers have more money now than before.
Hukum Singh Kaintura (70) is happy. His three sons are in Japan. "It is a great feeling. They have made their mark in a diverse field," he said.
Another villager Bhagwan Singh Panwar feels considering the "high number of chefs from our region, the state government should pay special focus and conduct short duration courses related to hotel management to help our boys".
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