Fasting during Navratri festival? Savour ‘vrat ka khana’ on train

Tribune News Service

Ambala, October 2

If you are fasting and travelling in train during the ongoing Navratri festival, you need not worry about the special food you need to eat. The Railways has started serving ‘vrat ka khana’ onboard at Ambala railway station.

The facility, provided by the IRCTC, a Railways subsidiary, was serving those observing fast during the Navratras since the onset of the nine-day-long festival on Sunday, a senior officer said here today.

Ambala is one of the 24 hand-picked stations across the country covered under the facility through select restaurants.

“As part of our e-catering menu during the Navratras, the IRCTC has come up with this service keeping in mind the ritualistic fast observed by many passengers during the festival,” said the official.

The menu comprises ‘satvik’ diet like sabudana, sendha namak, kuttu ka atta, and certain vegetables with items like sabudana ki khichdi, dry makhane, sabudana moongfali namkeen, aloo ki tikki, Navratri thali, jeera aloo, French fries, sabudana vada, falhari chuda, falhari thali, malai barfi, rasmalai, milk cake, sadi barfi, butter milk and plain curd.

Besides Ambala, Kanpur Central, Jabalpur, Ratlam, Jaipur, Bina, Patna, Rajendra Nagar, H Nizammuddin, Jhansi, Aurangabad, Akola, Itarsi, Vasai Road, Vapi, Kalyan, Borivali, Durg, Daund, Gwalior, Mathura, Nagpur, Bhopal, Ujjain and Ahemadnagar were other stations offering ‘vrat ka khana’.

How to avail

Passengers can avail the service through the IRCTC e-catering website www.ecatering.irctc.co.in or the “Food-on-track” app. They can place their orders at least two hours before their scheduled journey time with a valid PNR. The travellers may opt to pre-pay or pay on delivery option, as per their convenience.