It’s been two years now since community lunch was last held at puja pandals. This time many blocks packed lunch in boxes for residents to eat at home. One or two even held modest buffets.
“Many residents were asking what the puja subscription was for, if no food was provided by the committee,” said Sukanya Basu on behalf of the New Town’s Greenwood Park committee. “So we had to prepare food packets on one day — Ashtami.
At Salt Lake’s BA Block, the incentive was different. “Ours puja was conducted entirely by women and since they were busy at the mandap, they would be unable to cook for their families. So we decided to pack lunch for three days,” said secretary of the puja Jayeeta Paul.
Residents queue up for a buffet breakfast at New Town’s Alaktika complex The Telegraph picture
In retrospect, food packets proved to be even more popular than sit-and-eat lunches in their block. “In the old format, we would count about 700 heads but this year we packed some 950 boxes on each of the three days,” says Paul. “Even last year we packed about 800 boxes a day.”
Choice of caterers
Usually at community lunches cooks are brought in to prepare hot meals but this year things were different. “We didn’t want people complaining of stale or tasteless food so we got our packets from a renowned sweet and snack shop,” said Basu of Greenwood Park. Then again those like Salt Lake’s AD Block went back to their previous cooks. “In 2020 we had got our packets from a popular Bengali restaurant but residents weren’t happy. So this year we returned to the cook who has prepared our community lunch for years,” said Arya Ganguly on behalf of the committee.
Pratap Kumar Das, an Odia cook, has been attached to AD Block for 15 years now. “We had the same menu as in pre-Covid years — khichuri, luchi etc — but the quantity was less,” he said.
CL Block’s Dayamoy Decorators and Appayan Caterers had a great run serving lunch at pujas before the pandemic but this year owner Dhananjoy Malakar says blocks preferred home delivery services. “Those services are fly by night. They cook at home without trade, food or fire licences or GST numbers. They use substandard ingredients, reuse their oil but no one finds out as their kitchens are not inspected,” he says. “But when the cooking must be done in huge parks behind pandals the process is open for all to see. That’s when blocks come to us as we maintain hygiene and have presentable waiters serving.”
A newbie this year was food packets from the state comprehensive area development corporation (CADC), under the panchayats and rural development department. Their kitchen, run by women of self help groups, operates from Mrittika Bhavan near City Centre.
“This is our second puja but while last year we didn’t see any bulk orders, this year we got orders from puja committees all over town, in some cases for up to 2,000 people,” said marketing coordinator Swagata Roy.
CK-CL Block’s committee was one such. “We invited CADC to set up a stall outside our pandal and people who pre-ordered lunch went and picked it up directly from them. The stall also sold snacks. And on Dashami we provided subsidised dinner packets to residents,” said secretary of the block association Shanti Ranjan Paul.
Residents fill their plates at EC Block’s buffet spread. Brinda Sarkar
Change in menu
AE (Part 1) changed both their menu and mode of delivery this year. “We decided against serving items like beguni as they would get cold and soggy unless eaten on the spot. Many prefer luchi to rice on Ashtami but luchi sent home would get rubbery. So we avoided Ashtami and served meals on Saptami and Navami alone,” said committee member Sujata Maitra.
Last year volunteers had delivered the packets home…and burnt their fingers. “The number of volunteers are limited so naturally some people received food earlier than others and posted on our WhatsAap groups that the food was delicious. This angered those who were hungrily waiting for the food to arrive,” Maitra explained.
This year residents collected their own packets. And while professionals cooked, the food was packed by members of 10 to 15 families, including children. “I realise now that packing is as important as cooking. We are being careful so as to not spill anything,” said nine-year-old
Angshuman Bhatatcharya, who was perhaps the youngest volunteer. “And this is more fun than performing dramas during the pujas as we don’t have to memorise dialogues.”
Buffet option
A few blocks distributed packets and also laid out a brief buffet system. “We have huge open spaces and kept — not one but — several queues for buffets at distances. It was popular and successful,” said Arabindo Adhikary, president of the Alaktika puja committee.
EC Block served packets as well as buffet. “Many people had said they would collect the boxes and eat in the hall so a buffet would be more convenient for them. The ratio of packet to buffet was 60:40,” said block secretary Mouli Nath Maji.
Residents were happy too. “I am fed up of living within four walls and thought the buffet would at least allow me to meet neighbours,” said Bandita Roy, who had come for the service with her grandchildren at EC’s hall.
saltlake@abp.in