Travelling for some is
passion, while for others it’s an obligation. Whichever category you may fall
into, travel you must! I myself have
been a rather reluctant traveller. Before you board the judgment express- it’s
not like I dislike travelling, it’s just the amount of duress it brings along.
Even well into the
twenty first century, let’s just face it, traveling for a woman; that too solo
isn’t really as smooth as we would like it to be. From undue attention to
uncooperative hosts, a solo traveller has to face it all-more so if she happens
to be a woman. With all these apprehensions and much more, I set out on my
maiden solo journey to Delhi for an interview. Now despite being a “non-traveller”
I would give up anything for a train journey. Quite a contradiction, isn’t it?
 |
| Food on Wheels |
Our country has the
fourth largest network of railways in the entire world. That’s quite an
achievement in itself. And Indian railways serves as a life blood of a country
as geographically vast and varied as ours. For my journey though I couldn’t get
tickets to the Rajdhani due to acute shortage of time. It felt bad on missing
out on a sort of rite of passage for any middle-class Indian traveller. So,
I booked whatever was available. Now
one very interesting fact about travelling in India on a moderate budget is
that hygiene goes out of the window. And having heard elaborate praises about
how healthy and hygienic the food provided in trains are, I was left wondering
if at all I would return home without a stomach bug or two!
However, a friend of
mine- an avid traveller gave me an idea that probably took away all my
apprehensions. Unless you are living under a rock, you must be knowing about
the scheme launched by Indian railways, which allows food from your favourite
restaurant to be delivered right at your doorstep, I mean berth! Well, I was
living under the rock and knew nothing about this. So, this piece of
information about the delivery of food
in trains came as a very pleasant surprise indeed.
This new facility is
likely to make life easier for numerous passengers who squirm at the sight of
the tasteless bland food catered by railways, such as myself. And what’s
more? The restaurants/chains putting
their menus up includes the likes of McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken (better
known as KFC), Dominoes, Haldirams, Only Alibaba and the likes. This new scheme
is essentially part of the project launched by Indian railways, which provides
for “e-catering based on railway stations”.
Don’t like carrying too much cash? Fret not, cause the new scheme has
you covered with online payment options. With a drive for cleanliness inside
the vehicles as well as the stations, and now better options for food, it seems
that the railway authorities are leaving no stone unturned to enhance our
travelling experience. And for once, we aren’t complaining. And as far as my
maiden journey was concerned, let’s just say that the food I got for myself was
the best part of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment