Authorities at correctional homes in West Bengal have announced plans to serve mutton biryani, basanti pulao, and various other Bengali dishes to inmates during the upcoming Durga Puja celebrations, aiming to make them feel included in the festivities, according to an official statement on Saturday. The revised menu for both convicts and undertrials will be available for lunch and dinner from Sasthi (October 9) to Dashami (October 12), marking the beginning and end of Durga Puja.
"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.
It has been decided that inmates who work as cooks will prepare the festive delicacies during the Durga Puja celebrations. The menu, designed to delight the inmates' palates, will feature a variety of dishes, including Macher Matha Diye Pui Shak (Malabar spinach with fish head), Macher Matha Diye Dal (dal with fish head), Luchi-Cholar Dal (puri with Bengali chana dal), Payesh (Bengali rice pudding), chicken curry, Alu Potol Chingri (shrimp with pointed gourd and potato), mutton biryani served with raita (mixed yogurt), and Basanti Pulao (yellow rice).
However, to respect the religious sentiment of the inmates, non-vegetarian food will not be served to everyone and the prisoners will be asked to choose items, the official said. “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.
One of the city's correctional facilities, Presidency Jail, currently houses several high-profile inmates, including former state ministers Partha Chatterjee and Jyoti Priya Mallick, as well as Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital.