Thangam Elizabeth Philip (1921–2009) was an Indian
nutritionist A nutritionist is a person who advises others on matters of food and nutrition and their impacts on health. Some people specialize in particular areas, such as sports nutrition, public health, or animal nutrition, among other disciplines. In many c ...
and a pioneer of hospitality education in India.
She was the Principal Emeritus of the
Institute of Hotel Management, Mumbai
The Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition (IHMCT&AN), generally known as Institute of Hotel Management (IHM), is a multi-location Hospitality management studies, public hospitality school in India. IHM is estab ...
and was the author of several books on
cookery
Cooking, cookery, or culinary arts is the art, science and craft of using heat to prepare food for consumption. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely, from grilling food over an open fire to using electric stoves, to baking in vario ...
.
A recipient of the ''
FAO
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...
Ceres Medal''
and the Knighthood of the
Order of Cordon Bleu Du Sant Esprit of France,
Philip was awarded the fourth highest Indian civilian award of
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
by the
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
in 1976.
Biography
Thangam Philip was born on 12 May 1921
at
Kozhikode
Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second la ...
in the south Indian state of
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
in a
central Travancore
Central Division, sometimes referred to as the Quilon Division was one of three (or four) administrative subdivisions of the princely state of Travancore in what is now Kerala. It was administered by a civil servant of rank Diwan Peishkar equival ...
family
by name, ''Thevarthundiyil'', to T. P. Philip and Elizabeth Philip.
After graduating from the
Women's Christian College, Chennai
Women's Christian College is an interdenominational women's college on College Road, Nungambakkam, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
History
The Women's Christian College was founded in 1915 with 41 students and 7 faculty members, as a result of ...
, she secured a post graduate diploma from the
Lady Irwin College
Lady Irwin College is a constituent college of the University of Delhi. Established in 1932, it is a women's college located in New Delhi, India, and offers graduate courses in Food Technology as well as graduate and post-graduate courses in H ...
, Delhi and secured a master's degree (MS) from USA.
She started her career by joining the faculty of home science at
St Thomas School, Kolkata
St Thomas' School is a co-educational kindergarten to higher secondary school in Kidderpore, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It was established in 1789, making it one of the oldest schools in India and has the largest campus in Kolkata.
It has t ...
where she worked for a short time before moving to Sri Lanka in 1949 to work at
Southland Methodist College to establish a ''Home Economic department'' at the college.
Philip returned to India in 1950 and accepted the invitation of the
Ministry of Agriculture
An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...
to manage one of the cafeterias under the brand name, ''Annapurna'', where subsidized food was served to the middle class.
Five years later, she shifted to Mumbai and joined the
Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition (IHM) when the college was established in 1955.
She also did radio and television programmes and visited US where her programmes were telecast.
In 1961, after her return from US, she was appointed as the principal of IHM.
She also started writing articles in the periodicals and opened a cookery programme at the
All India Radio
All or ALL may refer to:
Language
* All, an indefinite pronoun in English
* All, one of the English determiners
* Allar language (ISO 639-3 code)
* Allative case (abbreviated ALL)
Music
* All (band), an American punk rock band
* ''All'' (All a ...
. When the
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...
launched the ''Freedom from Hunger'' campaign in 1963,
Thangam Philip also joined the campaign
and participated in the inaugural Young World Assembly held in Athens in 1965.
Philip was the author of several books on cookery and hospitality industry.
Her two volume work, ''Modern Book for Teaching and the Trade'', is a prescribed textbook
in IHM curriculum.
One of her books, ''Thangam Philip's Book of Baking'' is a work written for the
Ministry of Tourism The Minister of Tourism is the head of the governmental department that specializes in tourism, recreation and/or culture.
The position exists in many different countries under several names:
*Ministry of Tourism and Environment (Albania)
* Minist ...
.
She also involved as a consultant with several projects of
UNDP
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...
,
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...
,
International Labour Organization
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...
and the
Government of Kuwait
Kuwait is an emirate with a political system consisting of an appointed judiciary, appointed government (dominated by the Al Sabah ruling family), and nominally elected parliament.
Executive branch
The Constitution of Kuwait was approved and p ...
.
She served on the boards of many hospitality enterprises and organizations such as
Air India
Air India is the flag carrier airline of India, headquartered at New Delhi. It is owned by Talace Private Limited, a Special-Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of Tata Sons, after Air India Limited's former owner, the Government of India, completed the sa ...
,
Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management
Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM) is an institute based in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India, with campuses in Bhubaneswar, Noida, Nellore, and Goa, offering training, education and research in sustainable management of tou ...
,
Sterling Holiday Resorts (India) Limited and
Kamat Hotels
Kamat Hotels (India) Ltd is a chain of luxury hotels and hospitality in India. It was founded in 1986 by Late Mr. Venkatesh Krishna Kamat and has since grown to over 10 hotels in 8 cities in India. In Asia, The Orchid Hotel – Ecotel, Mumbai ...
.
She was also a member of the Remuneration Committee and Member of Shareholders’ Grievance Committee of the Kamat Hotel group.
Returning to her native place after retirement in 1986,
she continued her researches from her home in
Pallom, in
Kottayam district
Kottayam (), is one of 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. Kottayam district comprises six municipal towns: Kottayam, Changanassery, Pala, Erattupetta, Ettumanoor, and Vaikom. It is the only district in Kerala that neither borders the ...
of Kerala.
Thangam Philip, who remained a spinster throughout her life,
died on 28 January 2009,
at the age of 87, succumbing to a cardiac arrest which followed related illnesses at a nursing home in Kottayam.
Her body was buried at St. Andrew's CSI Church cemetery at Pannimattom, Kottayam.
Awards and honours
![FAO CERES Philip Silver Obverse](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/FAO_CERES_Philip_Silver_Obverse.jpg)
Philip was a fellow of the Hotel Catering and Institutional Management Association, UK as well as the Cookery and Food Association, UK
and served as a member of the
Royal Society for Public Health
Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) is an independent, multi-disciplinary charity dedicated to the improvement of the public's health.
RSPH helps inform policy and practice, working to educate, empower and support communities and individuals ...
, UK.
The
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...
selected her in 1975 to be honoured with the portrayal on the
FAO
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...
Ceres Medal, a commemorative medal issued with the recipient's image.
The next year, she received the civilian honour of
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
from the
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
.
The
Government of France
The Government of France ( French: ''Gouvernement français''), officially the Government of the French Republic (''Gouvernement de la République française'' ), exercises executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister, who ...
awarded her the Knighthood of the Order of ''Cordon Bleu Du Sant Esprit'' in 1982.
Four years later, she retired from IHM
after which she was made the principal emeritus of the college.
She was also a recipient of the ''Firestone Award'' from the Indian Association of Occupational Health.
Bibliography
* ''Modern Cookery: For Teaching and the Trade (Volume 1)''
* ''Modern Cookery: For Teaching and the Trade (Volume 2)''
* ''A Touch Of Spice''
* ''The Thangam Philip Book Of Baking''
* ''Thangam Philip’s Vegetarian Recipes for Healthy Living''
See also
*
*
Indian Cook Books Indian cookbooks are cookbooks written in India, or about Indian cooking. Some of the oldest cookbooks were written in India Indian cooking varies regionally and has evolved over the centuries due to various influences. Vegetarianism has made a sign ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Philip, Thangam
Recipients of the Padma Shri in civil service
1921 births
2009 deaths
Malayali people
People from Kozhikode district
Indian nutritionists
Women scientists from Kerala
Indian food writers
Order of the Holy Spirit
Women's Christian College, Chennai alumni
20th-century Indian educational theorists
Indian women educational theorists
Scholars from Kerala
Women educators from Kerala
Educators from Kerala
20th-century women educators
20th-century Indian women