Kurseong Stn to get cafe preserving ‘old world charm’, pics create buzz online

Amitava Banerjee | MP | 3 Mar 2023 | Siliguri: A tweet by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has left netizens guessing. The tweet posted on March 1, 2023 at 4:17 pm has got more than 2.5 million views and has been liked, loved and shared by many. 

Entitled “Guess this place,” the tweet comprises two photographs that look straight out of an old English novel. The space depicts a colonial setting complete with a deck, wood panelled walls, a wooden staircase and chandeliers. To make matters more interesting, the Minister has added a subtle line “Hint: At a railway station!?” 

The Ministry of Railways, retweeting, has added “It is a cafeteria.” The tweet is about “Café De’Central 1881” at the Kurseong Railway station. “There was an unused space in the Kurseong Railway station and we were in need of a refreshment facility. We had called for a tender and handed it over to a private company to be promoted as an eatery. 

The pictures tweeted by the minister are of the eatery that is coming up at the Kurseong railway station,” stated Priyanshu, Director, Darjeeling Himalayan Railways. Kurseong is the headquarters of the world heritage Darjeeling Himalayan Railways (DHR.) The narrow gauge DHR that runs from Darjeeling to New Jalpaiguri was inscribed a World Heritage site on December 2, 1999 by UNESCO. 

“We are developing a Cafeteria more on the lines of a food court here. Though we had got the lease nearly a year back we did not hurry. We wanted to preserve the aesthetics and preserve the old world charm so that it blends in perfectly with the world heritage DHR. We plan to open the Café by March 15,” stated Shahnawaz Siddiqui, a local resident of Kurseong who is developing the cafeteria and will run it. 

In the year 1879 work first started on the DHR, then called the Darjeeling Steam Tramways. The name of the rail company was then changed to Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Company in 1881 on completion of the Darjeeling to Siliguri. Siddiqui stated those earlier days also this space used to be a refreshment room and before that during the British days a Bar. 

“We have heard from old timers that it used to be called the Sorabji refreshment room” stated Siddiqui, talking to Millennium Post. The restaurant boasts of a deck with the wood panelled walls displaying historic frames of the DHR. 

“We have used wood, more than 150 years old, from some local bungalows that were being dismantled. Even the furniture has been built in house but has been given the old world antique look” added Siddiqui. 

Old hand-pulled rickshaws on display add to the old world charm. The restaurant will have a seating capacity of 40 and will serve Mughlai food and will have a live ice cream counter; Bakery section, Pizza counter and a Darjeeling tea and coffee along with Mocktail sections. “It will be a perfect place for weary and hungry tourists especially the ones travelling by train,” added Siddiqui. 

Courtesy & source- Millennium Post

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/kurseong-stn-to-get-cafe-preserving-old-world-charm-pics-create-buzz-online-510557