"Please give me something to eat," Olympic bronze medal winning shooter Sarabjot Singh said on his arrival at India House — a repository showing the soft power of the country that aspires to host the 2036 Olympic Games. Singh and Manu Bhaker combined to beat South Korea 16-10 in the 10 meter air pistol mixed team event to land India its second medal at the Olympics on Tuesday. The 22-year-old, soon after his podium finish, drove to India House – a hospitality house that showcases Indian architecture and artistic motifs, offers virtual reality tourism, yoga sessions, Bollywood dance classes and workshops on henna tattooing and block printing. It also serves the best of Indian cuisines — from biryani and mutton curry to curd rice and a host of desserts.
He arrived to a rousing welcome by fans and Nita Ambani, chairperson of Reliance Foundation, which set up the pavilion in partnership with the Indian Olympic Association.
Amid photo-ops and selfie moments, he was asked what he wanted and pat came the reply, "Please give me something to eat," a source privy to the conversation said.
And within minutes, popular Indian snacks including paani puri, bhel and dosa were served to the whole contingent at the special lounge for athletes at the India House.
For athletes perhaps tired of eating croissants and baguettes and the other limited food options at the Olympic village where rooms have no air conditioning (Paris Games organisers decided to do away with ACs to cut carbon footprint), food from home is what they crave for. India House offered just that.
Chefs from London's Stoke Park — a 7-star property owned by the Ambanis — as well as from India run a kitchen that serves a variety of cuisines.
After the meal, the contingent danced to 'nattu-nattu'.
Another source said India House is an opportunity for Nita Ambani, who is also a member of the International Olympic Committee, to showcase to the world what the country has to offer.
Morning yoga sessions are jam packed and city authorities have placed restrictions on no more than a 1000 persons being present at any given point of time.
Lot of French and non-Indians take the yoga lessons as well as the Bollywood dance classes, a third source said.
"Hosting the IOC Session in India last year, the first in 40 years, was a milestone in our Olympic journey. We are delighted to continue this momentum with the launch of India House – a place where we will honour our athletes, celebrate our victories, share our stories and welcome the world to experience India," Nita Ambani, wife of Asia's richest man Mukesh Ambani, had said at the inauguration of India House last week.
Nestled in the middle of plush surroundings of the Parc de la Villette, some 9km from the Olympic Games village, India House is one of the 18 country hospitality lounges that have come up at the Games.
"We want to show the whole world that we are capable of being up to the task of such an event," she had said.