In Kolkata, correctional home authorities have decided to introduce a special menu featuring mutton biryani, 'basanti pulao,' and other traditional Bengali dishes for inmates during Durga Puja. This initiative aims to ensure that both convicts and undertrials can partake in the festive spirit. The revised menu, offering these festive meals for lunch and dinner, will be available from Sasthi to Dashami, marking the start and end of the Durga Puja celebrations, an official stated on Saturday.
"We get requests from inmates for better food during every festival. We have got a new menu this year and are hopeful that this will bring smiles to their faces. I personally consider this as a very positive move to reform them,” the official said.
According to reports, inmates who work as cooks will be preparing the festive delicacies during Durga Puja. The menu will feature a variety of dishes to delight the inmates' taste buds, including 'Macher matha diye pui shak,' 'Macher matha diye dal,' 'Luchi-cholar dal,' 'Payesh,' chicken curry, 'Alu potol chingri,' mutton biryani with 'raita,' and 'Basanti pulao,' as shared by an official.
"We want to bring changes in their routine, a break from their daily lives. For many Bengalis or even people of different communities living in the state for years, Durga puja and other festivals are incomplete without fish and meat items on their platter. Hence we tried to bring variety in their cuisines so that they will relish as Bengalis," he said.