With many interesting restaurants or cafes that are there in India, one more joins the bandwagon that’s the Parcel café opens at General Post Office. Yes, you heard it right. With an aim to connect with Gen X Kolkata GPO now also sees a café.
An initiative of Indian Postal Department (IPO) this café at the famous General Post Office (GPO) building is called Shiuli (meaning the flower just before Durga puja that’s saffron and white in colour) The place is called the ‘Parcel Cafe’. The GPO is Kolkata still happens to be the iconic landmark from British Calcutta. Run by in-house catering department that café opens from 10am to 7pm. Earlier the huge hall area was used as a counter for philatelic ancillaries ((stamp collecting), including cushions, coasters, brass plates, stamps and more along with a small staff canteen that the GPO used to run.
Spread across 1,450 sq ft space, this bright and airy café that sees high ceilings, wooden furniture and green/ red colour sofa seats can accommodate around 34 people. All the furniture here has been repurposed. They were able to repair most old tables and chairs which have now been placed in the cafe. The old sorting table from 1850s which sees an attached shelves is one of the star furniture attractions. Old spears that were once used by runners can still be seen hanging on the walls. Sharing some insights Niraj Kumar, Postmaster-General of Kolkata Region adds it’s important that people come to post office and so we decided to take this way. A place that has always seen parcel-booking, packaging, gift–packing and more today sees a much different look and feel. This was we are connecting the younger generations too. Inside the café one can also see parcel booking centre which are fully operational too.”
This café is a result of much brain-storming session that happened through last year in Delhi. This place for meeting, greeting and great conversation has surely created quiet a buzz. Located at Dalhousie Square, that also happens to be Kolkata’s most Instagram-reels favourite square, the colonial architecture of the place is much if an attraction. At ‘Siuli the parcel cafe’ once can happily sip their tea and coffee at this café. Keeping the menu simple the there’s just few variety of cutlet and of course Tea and Coffee.
This unique Siuli Café is an aim to bring people back to the Post Office where they can still see and know how mails worked and not just stay connected on emails. Also, if you plan to you send a parcel by noon and address falls within the jurisdiction of the GPO, it will be delivered the same day.