Meerut: A wide array of food choices are available at kanwar camps here this year - from shahi paneer and pulao to pasta, pizza and momo - all prepared without onion and garlic, mixing the traditional with the new.
While some camps are using roti-makers and machines to chop vegetables in bulk, others have declared themselves plastic-free to provide a clean environment to the devotees.
District authorities are also continuously inspecting private camps to monitor food quality, hygiene standards, and overall arrangements, the UP government said in a statement issued on Friday evening.
A full-day meal schedule has been arranged for the kanwariyas.
The day begins with tea, biscuits, poha, and jalebi. The breakfast spread includes samosas, kachoris, bread pakoras, vegetable hakka noodles, and honey chilli potatoes.
Lunch features dishes like shahi paneer, kadhai paneer, paneer lababdar, dal makhani, and mixed vegetables, served with chur-chur naan, butter naan, jeera rice, and rotis. Sweet dishes such as rabri-jalebi, rasmalai, rasgulla and gulab jamun complement the main course.
In the evening, pilgrims are served spring rolls, chilli paneer, manchurian, white and red sauce pasta, vegetable pizza, momos, macaroni, soup, and burgers.
Dinner consists of chhole-puri, matar paneer, pulao, dal and rotis, along with kheer, halwa, fruit custard, and gulab jamun. The camps also ensure a continuous supply of lassi, buttermilk, juice, tea, coffee, and cold drinking water, the statement said.
At the Kankarkheda Vyapar Sangh camp, a machine capable of kneading 20 kg of dough at once and an automatic roti-making machine have been installed, said coordinator Neeraj Mittal and operations manager Rajesh Khanna.
The machine produces approximately 16 rotis per minute and around 900 per hour, with a daily output of 6,000 to 7,000 rotis. Machines are also being used to chop vegetables and prepare spices in bulk to help prepare meals for thousands of devotees in a short span of time.
Sudhir Rastogi, a member of the organising team at the Modipuram camp, said that special fasting-friendly meals ('falahar') have been arranged for kanwariyas who are fasting. Dishes made from buckwheat (kuttu) and water chestnut (singhara) flour, potato curry, seasonal fruits, and other fasting-appropriate foods are being provided.
After their long journey, devotees are also served hot 'kesar doodh' (saffron-infused milk) in traditional kulhads (clay cups) to help them replenish their energy.
This time, many camps have been made completely plastic-free. Stainless steel utensils are being used to serve food instead of plastic or thermocol plates.
Overall hygiene at serving stations and a clean environment aim to convey a message of environmental conservation during the Kanwar Yatra.
Amit Murti, organiser of the 'Maa Kanwar Seva Camp', said that their objective is not merely to provide food, but to make the journey of the Shiv devotees safe, pleasant, and memorable.
Camp organisers noted that standards regarding food quality, hygiene, and safety are being strictly followed in accordance with the UP government's guidelines.
Teams of administrative officials are conducting periodic inspections to review the arrangements, while hundreds of volunteers are engaged in service around the clock, the statement said.
