Abandoned toy train coaches of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) to become restaurants at four stations

Keeping in mind tourism vis-à-vis toy train enthusiasts, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) has hit upon a fine idea. It wants to convert abandoned toy train coaches into restaurants. These will benefit four stations in the district at Sukna, Tindharia, Kurseong and Darjeeling. Sukna is the last station in the plains located around 10km from Siliguri while Darjeeling is the terminal station of the 80km route. The plan could become a reality within a few months. The authorities believe the strategy of having “coach restaurants” on the station compounds will be a big draw for tourists. As an official said – “They can enjoy the experience of sitting in a railway coach while having delectable food and beverages.” Toy train icing on hill restaurant cake.

Already one such restaurant has come up at the New Jalpaiguri station. There an old railway coach has been refurbished with sitting arrangements and a live. The inflow of passengers has increased at the DHR and the tourist seasons usher in a flurry of bookings of different services. One of these is the toy train ride between Darjeeling and Ghoom. Since last year, the authorities have taken initiatives to popularize the toy train. It happens to be a UNESCO-recognized world heritage. This has resulted in new train services like a vista dome apart from quiz competitions, drawing contests and cultural programs. In fact, there is a consistent campaign on various media platforms. A railway official said - “Many people who travel to the hills by road can choose to check out the coach restaurants because of their uniqueness. Similar restaurants have been opened in some other stations of the country and those are quite popular.” In due course of time, private parties can run the restaurants and augment the revenue of the DHR.

Some popular stories of this blogger –

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres wants COP27 to close the ambition gap, the credibility gap and the solidarity gap

Tension mounts in the Korean Peninsula as South Korea scrambles 80 of its stealth jets

Eruption of volcano in Tonga led to a plume of ash and water that went about 31 to 50 miles above the surface of the Earth

UNESCO predicts the world famous glaciers might disappear by 2050 due to global warming

Floods and stormy weather batter Britain, temperatures plummet below freezing point in many rural parts of the north

India imposed a ban on single use plastics but results are not showing even after three months

Missiles fired by North Korea leads to evacuation warning in parts of Japan

Forests of the southern Sierra Nevada become victims of climate change

North Korea fires at least 10 missiles, one lands close to the territorial waters of the South for the first time since the 1945

It is festival time in Kolkata with Navratri and Durga Puja

West Bengal and its capital Kolkata are famous for the large-scale, opulent pujas. The organizers work night and day to present artistic creations that attract people from not just different parts of Bengal and from all over the country, but even globally. This has been made possible because of the recognition accorded by UNESCO in 2021. It has granted recognition in the form of Heritage Status to 'Durga Puja in Kolkata.' This is inscribed in its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Those who plan a trip to Kolkata during the festival can expect memorable experiences of gorging on yummy food, praying to Goddess Durga, pandal hopping, and loving every bit of the festivities. These are what Durga puja is all about. Eat, pray, love! 5 things to do while visiting Kolkata during Durga Puja 2022; visit THESE top 20 pandals. It has to be remembered that pandal hopping translates into crowds and hot and humid surroundings. It is better to wear comfortable footwear because you might have to walk long distances and remain in queue for a long time to get a darshan of the idols and the magnificent pandals.

There is a craze among some people to visit 'Bonedi bari' puja. These are family pujas dating back to centuries and involve aristocratic households. There is no commercialization and they do not go in for glamor and glitz of the baroyari pujas. The number of such families is few and the uniqueness is that on this annual festival, members of the family come together from far corners of the world. These turn out to be unforgettable homecomings. Of course, food lovers enjoy street foods, sweets and eating out at the city's famous restaurants. From fuchka (or the gol gappa or pani puri) to jhal muri (puffed rice with special spices) and the famous Kolkata roll – the list is a long one. In many restaurants, food lovers may have to wait in queues for their turn.

Durga Puja from outside India and within –

13 Best Durga Puja in London UK 2022

14 Best Durga Puja in New York USA 2022

2022 Durga Puja Calendar for Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Tourist hotels in Puri, Darjeeling and Digha –

GosaniYatra or The Durga Puja of Puri

Darjeeling hotels brim with tourists

How Can You Enjoy Durga Puja At Affordably Priced Hotel In Digha?

Some popular stories of this blogger –

US Vice President Kamala Harris on a visit to South Korea and will visit the Demilitarized Zone DMZ also

Life of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle after the era of Queen Elizabeth II

Shoppers enjoy last minute Puja shopping in Gariahat, New Market and Hatibagan

Typhoon Noru strikes Vietnam, hundreds evacuated from popular beach resort city of Da Nang

Hurricane Ian struck the western tip of the island, left millions of Cubans without power and is headed towards Florida

Shooting incident in school in Russia kills at least 17, injures another 24 - gunman takes his own life

Curd based delicious foods like mishit doi, boondi raita and lassi

Freight train services resume between North Korea and China after a brief suspension due to pandemic

Durga Puja and senior citizens of Kolkata

Bengalis of Kolkata love mouthwatering dishes and Khaibaar Pass helps them choose the best

TV reality shows, social media and food festivals like Khaibaar Pass have helped give an impetus to the culinary scene in Kolkata. Hotels and restaurants go all out to woo the food lovers with exotic dishes and food festivals keep creating new varieties of well-known products. Fuchka is a household name in Bengal and is known as golguppa in other places. These fall in the category of cheap fast foods. However, in Khaibaar Pass this has multiple varieties like chicken fuchka, ice cream fuchka, chocolate fuchka – the price range is several times more than that in the roadside stalls. ABP Ananda is a major media house in Bengal. It arranges an annual three-day food festival ‘Khaibaar Paas.’ This is where foodies arrive to taste unique culinary dishes from restaurants and food outlets in Bengal. The 8th edition of this food festival took in the city in March, 2022. ABP Ananda launches Khaibaar Paas food festival.

At this festival, those who love food can sample delicacies from innumerable food stalls and sees thousands of footfalls every day. The festival offers business opportunity to all those involved in the world of food and includes restaurants and food joints. There are major well-known brands who sponsor the event. Products include Biryanis, Kebabs, traditional Bengali dishes, sea food, sweets and snackable items to Mughlai, to Chinese and Lebanese dishes. In addition, there are fun games to maintain the festive mood. As an official of the network said - “Khaibaar Paas has been able to carve out a niche for itself in the Bengali food space.”

Durga Puja from outside India and within –

13 Best Durga Puja in London UK 2022

14 Best Durga Puja in New York USA 2022

2022 Durga Puja Calendar for Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Tourist hotels in Puri, Darjeeling and Digha –

GosaniYatra or The Durga Puja of Puri

Darjeeling hotels brim with tourists

How Can You Enjoy Durga Puja At Affordably Priced Hotel In Digha?

Some popular stories of this blogger –

Kolkata loves variety in foods and the Kokattans have their favorite food joints

Prince William and Kate head to school with their kids George, Charlotte and Louis

Kolkata gears up for Durga Puja rush with special buses for shoppers

China grows rice and vegetables on the Tiangong space station

The summer of 2022 was hottest on record in England and it tied with 2018

Second successive loss of India in Asia Cup 2022 – this time to Sri Lanka

A 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit southwestern China and left at least 65 dead

A mass stabbing incident in Canada left ten people dead and at least 15 others injured

Liz Truss, the current foreign minister, will become the next prime minister of Britain

Street food rules the roost, regular food joints must innovate to survive

Street foods have become a craze not only in India but also all over the world. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact time when the first street food outlet was born. There used to be jhal muri and fuchka at locations that had attractive footfalls like in front of cinema halls or parks. As far as my memory goes, one of the first street food outlets appeared in Kolkata in the 1970s. They came in the form of handcarts and the products used to be egg rolls. The owner was usually an unemployed young man who chose this method to earn a living. He did not have to pay any rent, employ people, or provide any seating arrangement. In fact, his overheads were minimum. He had to have adequate stock of ingredients like eggs, flour, cooking oil, onions, chilies, utensils, kerosene stove and kerosene etcetera. LPG was non-existent in those days. Of course, he might have had the blessings of people who matter. The fact is that the culture spread like wildfire. Restaurants had to innovate in order to survive the challenges posed by street food.

Taking food on the roadside with a background music of honking vehicles is a unique experience. The men and women who are clamoring for the food would be strangers and the heady fragrance of perfume might create a spell. It might force you to turn your head around for a moment. In the early days, street food outlets would open in the evening and the only problem would be the rainy season. However, with the passage of time things have changed. (To be continued ..)

Popular stories on this and related sites –

Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings - top two teams of TATA IPL 2022

Prince William and Kate on a week’s visit to Belize to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee

Owners of the 10 teams in TATA IPL 2022

Tidbits of the 15th edition of TATA IPL 2022

A cat has nine lives, I have many more – 4

A cat has nine lives, I have many more – 3

A cat has nine lives, I have many more – 2

A cat has nine lives, I have many more – 1

Old age home for senior citizens

Health is an important issue for senior citizens above 60
KEEP WATCHING THIS SPACE FOR MORE ON IPL2022