[sadhuji]

This is one of the most prestigeous trains of the Railways. It connects the important cities to the capital New Delhi. This is totally air conditioned train and has the minimum of halts en-route. Initially it was started in 1969 for the political leaders to travel to the capital to attend meetings or to pursue matters connected with their constituencies with various Government offices in the capital.
Read more - http://en.wikipedia....ajdhani_Express

The cost of the food is included in the cost of the ticket. At present this is fixed at Rs 170 per head and the IRCTC which is responsible for the catering has embarked on an ambitious plan to make the food more exciting by adding variety. A few examples retrieved from a report in the language newspaper are as follows –

1 fish fry would be served all 365 days – it will be bhetki of weight 45 grams
2 soups would be tomato soup or vegetable soup
3 starters – paneer-a-la-kiev
4 dal – dal makhani, dal hari moong, panchrangi dal, moong dal, arhar dal, or kashmiri rajma
5 paneer – paneer mixed vegetable makhani, matar paneer, paner mixed vegetable or paneer jhaal fry
6 chicken – chicken butter masala, chicken do-piaza, chicken rejala, kadai chicken, chicken vandaloo, chicken shahi korma or moglai chicken
7 rice – peas pulao, jerra rice, vegetable biryani, makana pulao, kashmiri pulao, mixed vegetable pulao or jeera pulao
8 chapati – rumali roti, ajowan paratha, meetha paratha, plain paratha or paratha
9 dessert – ice cream of Rollick – in 1st class it would be kesar pista, in other classes vanilla or 2-in-1

Until now, the menu was decided for specific days – for example the menu would be the same on Mondays. The menu for Tuesday would be different from that on Monday but would appear on all Tuesdays. It seems many political leaders who travel regularly by this train do so on specific days and they had complained that the menu is repetitive and needs to be modified. The current exercise is a sequel to their demands.

[WonderWomanUSA]

When I rode the Rajdhani from Bhubaneswar to Delhi, the Western menu was the same for all non-breakfast meals. I hope they'll work on that, too, but it's unlikely.

[vandy]

Sadhuji, my heart goes out to those "HARD WORKING" Political Leaders.       

Maybe if they made a contribution to the cost of the ticket, things MIGHT improve.       

They can otherwise catch the BUS.        

vandy  

[SHIMLA]

The Rajdhani Express is indeed one of the two prestigeous trains running on the IR, the other being the Shatabdi Express.

I last travelled on the Rajdhani in January 2005; and though the food served was good, the new rake they had introduced then - the LHB rake - left much to be desired. The earlier rakes were smoother and better equipped.

Wonder if there's any improvement in the Rajdhanis now.

[jyotirmoy]

I am told that the food served in the Rajdhani Exp. in the Delhi-Kolkata route is no good any more.
I travel regularly by Delhi-Kalka Shatabdi Exp. the quality of food has taken a nose dive. To show profits by the Railways?

[dzibead]

SHIMLA pops in!

[noflylist]

To expect gourmet quality food in railway, planes is unrealistic in my opinion. That said, palace on wheels anyone?

[cyberhippie]

Hi Shimla, I'd have put money on you dropping in on a train thread  

I tend to agree with NFL we shouldn't expect too much from mass in transit catering, however keeping up standards is something different.

The changes would be welcome in my opinion, variety being the spice of life.

Personally I think The Mangla - ladaksweep Express 2618 serves the best food with the most variety. Idlis, dosas, aloo parotha, chicken fry......................

[gautam]

Sadhuji,

When we travelled by ACC chair car in the only Rajdhani there was in the mid to late 70s, Delhi-CCU, [also Del-Bom??] people were delighted and satisfied with litlle, and the same menu in the chair car : 2 rumali roti, some sort of shami kabab or not, some sort of yellow rice, mutton curry, dahi and some sweet. The rumali roti made everyone feel they were indeed being treated "extra-special"; no complaints, ever, in all 4 years I rode the rails, 1975-78.

Breakfast was also standard: 2 boiled eggs, the magic number 2 making you "special" bread, butter, banana, tea. Song on leaving CCU also exactly the same, Biday koreccho Jare Noyono Joley. Same tea, same biscuits. So everything pretty much became a ritual everyone looked forward to, and became upset if anything was in the least bit disturbed.

In the First Class Sleeper, the dinner was almost the same, except for ice cream [Indian menu]. With breakfast, you could choose Cornflakes, milk, bananas, fried eggs or omelet, accompanied by a first rate Indo-Anglian spicy liver. Toast. Also invariable. No one complained there also. Did not see many choose Western diet, though, or Western people, period.

Strangely, all, be it chair car, or sleeper class, was served in the same compartmented aluminum thalis that were a trademark of railway catering all over India, and the dahi also was of the sickening quality characteristic of pan-North Indian railway catering: all mushed up, overaged, rank, turning sour, weeping whey, slopping over.

So, compared to the dirty, aluminum thalis with  oily gravy slopping over  that was almost all that was available in ordinary first-class long distance journeys, this was quite a step up in ambiance and general treatment. At Rajdhani, each person even got a red rose on boarding, along with evening tea; a bit crushed, but very fragrant, nonetheless. Nice gesture.

Those were more amateurish, more innocent times, or at least they seem so in memory's convenient haze.

That older generation was more comfortable with the habitual, less easy with the changeable perhaps? At least I looked forward to the safe and predictable and delightful sameness. This was important because you knew you would not suffer an upset stomach in the midst of an already long and tiring journey, you knew the food, and you knew it agreed with you, no surprises!

Edited by gautam, 29 October 2007 - 01:56 AM.

[sadhuji]

gautam, on Oct 28 2007, 08:23 PM, said:

...... At Rajdhani, each person even got a red rose on boarding, along with evening tea; a bit crushed, but very fragrant, nonetheless. Nice gesture..

yes, i travelled by rajdhani between mumbai-delhi and delhi-kolkata in mid 90s. yes - it was good. today i am told it is better still - that is what competition does.