An Onam feast with ten curries and one ‘payasam for just Rs 30 is a tough proposition. However, this would be a reality on ‘Thiruvonam’ day with the Central Prison, Poojappura, behind this novel attempt.
The prison will provide Onam feast for Rs 30 at three places - Government Medical College Hospital premises, General Hospital premises and Secretariat premises. "The feast will have ten curries including ‘thodu’ curries and one payasam,’’ said B Pradeep, Prison superintendent.
It is the price of the ‘sadhya’ that makes the initiative a unique one. It comes at a time when hotels, as per their grades, charge a ‘sadhya’ from Rs 150 to Rs 450.
In this context, providing a sadhya at a price of Rs 30 is indeed a achievement.
"It is not at all a business initiative and providing ‘sadhya’ at this price could not fetch any financial dividend. We are considering it as a service on Onam day as it would be helpful to the poor patients who have to spend the Onam day at hospital and for people who are not at home,’’ said Pradeep.
The feast is a ‘self-sufficient’ effort from the prison.
Fifty inmates of the prison will start work from the day of ‘Uthradom’ to make 1,000 Onam feast kits ready by ‘Thiruvonam’ afternoon.
While they will do cooking and packing, 20 of the prison staff will carry the kits to destinations in three vehicles. The vegetables grown at the prison farm will be used to make the curries and a plantain leaf will be there with each kit. The plantain leaves, if not sufficiently available at the prison compound, will be brought from the Open prison, Nettukaltheri.
This is the first time that the prison will provide ‘sadhya’ on Onam day. It is the big success in sales of prison-made chapatis which prompted the Prisons Department to enter into new fields.
Feast Menu:
Rice, Inchi curry, mango pickle, lemon pickle, Sambar, Aviyal, Thoran, Kaalan, Pulissery, chips, sarkaravaratty and ada pradhaman.
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