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Students at Promodeda’s canteen and (above) VC Malabika Sarkar chats with colleagues over coffee at the Barista Lavazza outlet. (Sayantan Ghosh)
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Wake up and smell the cappuccino, good ol’ Promodeda’s canteen at Presidency University has competition.
Coffee franchise Barista Lavazza has set up shop on the campus of Presidency in transition, creating a sit-and-sip set-up exclusively for professors, alumni and guests, and a takeaway section for students.
While espresso and club sandwiches on Calcutta’s oldest campus have got some excited, loyalists of the legend that is Promodeda are frothing at what they perceive as a challenge to their favourite Rs 5 coffee.
Vice-chancellor Malabika Sarkar said the outlet was meant primarily for the teachers. “This was long overdue. The teachers did not have an exclusive canteen and had to eat in the common room,” she said.
The outlet, housed in the newly renovated building that includes the English department, will stock almost the entire Barista fare, from cappuccino and iced tea to sandwiches and pastries. “We will also have items that are within the budget of students,” promised Chetan Kumar Agarwalla, the regional manager for Barista.
So what does 50-plus Promode Swain, a.k.a Promodeda, think of the challenge to his turf of 35 years? “The Barista outlet will have only a takeaway counter for the students. My ambience is more homely and the dishes are much cheaper,” he told Metro.
Madhushree Das, a first-year student of English, said Presidency would always be about the four Ps, irrespective of the advent of a new-age coffee shop on the campus. “Presidency has porashona (studies), prem (love), politics and then Promodeda. In fact, porashona, prem and politics blossom in Promodeda’s canteen,” she quipped.
Dyuti Ray, doing her MA in English, said Barista and Promodeda could go “hand in hand” at new-look Presidency. “It is a like a perfect blend of tradition and trend.”
Vice-chancellor Sarkar said the authorities had not brought in Barista to elbow out Promodeda’s canteen. “We are going to refurbish it soon,” she added.
Shri Shikshayatan College has a Coffee Day Xpress outlet on its campus, as does the Indian Institute of Management in Joka.
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