Colourful jute and wooden furniture make a perfect setting for a quiet meal while the walls decorated with paintings by jail inmates give an ethnic look to the newly-opened Tihar Food Court.
Situated on the periphery of the jail complex in Tilak Nagar, the Food Court is part of the jail’s rehabilitation programme for prisoners. Situated near Gate No. 3, the eatery is being managed by prisoners from the semi-open prison as well as others. The place, which serves everything from sandwiches, samosas and snacks to thalis, is not completely functional so far but is still attracting a good crowd.
Upon entering the eatery, the first thing that will strike a chord with the visitors is the warm smile on the faces of people serving food there. Rahimulla (name changed), an inmate employed there, went around welcoming visitors and taking their orders. Lodged in Tihar in a murder case, he currently stays in the semi-open prison, where he is allowed to move out of the jail premises during daytime and comes back by evening.
Talking to The Hindu , he said: “This is a very good initiative by the jail officials. I am enjoying working here.” Just when he was talking, a young couple entered the eatery and his face lighted up. “Look, young people are also coming here to eat. I am happy to see this...”
On being asked what brought them there, the young couple said: “We were curious to taste jail food, so we came here. We ordered one sandwich each and it was really nice. It had a different twist to it, different from what we get at other stores. If they maintain good quality, we will keep coming here.”
The inmates working at the eatery have received training for cooking, serving and baking under the ‘from talent to employment’ programme. While the inmates of the semi-open prison serve food, those inside the prison manage all the cooking.
The idea of setting up this food court was proposed by the Director General of Prisons, Vimla Mehra. “This is another step towards rehabilitation of the inmates. We are hoping to get a good response from the outlet in the jail premises. On the basis of the response we receive from here, we will plan on expanding it further,” said Ms. Mehra.
