Team News Riveting
With the community feast on the puja days off the table, star hotels in Kolkata have entered into a new business—serving the traditional khichudi-labda at the doorstep.
A couple of luxury hospitality addresses, whose business has taken a hit in this pandemic season, have new delicious items on the menu for this year’s puja. It includes khichudi-labda that no Bengali misses during the puja days.
Many housing societies in the city have a tradition of serving community lunch for the neighbourhood on Ashtami and Navami that has to be cancelled following the pandemic.
“When we received a proposal from a leading star hotel of serving packed lunch we were initially hesitant,” said an office bearer of the society. The members thought that star hotel rates would be beyond the reach but later realised that only a five star property could ensure hygiene that is so vital now, he added.
Many puja samiti and the societies have placed khichudi bhog lunch order with the star hotels for Ashtami and Navami.
The packets are provided with disposable cutlery in sealed lunch boxes. For the puja samiti, the bhog packets had been delivered at the pandal that were distributed after the priest offered the ritual.
In societies, the boxes were delivered in each tower’s reception from where residents collected it.
