"Roza Hai?": Passenger onboard Shatabdi Express gets surprise Iftar

New Delhi, Apr 26: Shahnawaz Akhtar, a passenger on board the Howrah-Ranchi Shatabdi Express, was pleasantly surprised on Tuesday when iftar was offered to him on the train as he was about to break his Ramzan fast.

While the IRCTC serves "Upwas Meals" during Navratri for Hindu passengers, no such service is available during Ramzan, an official said.

"Thank you #IndianRailways for the #Iftar. As soon as I boarded Howrah #Shatabdi at Dhanbad, I got my snacks. I requested the pantry man to bring tea little late as I am fasting. He confirmed by asking, aap roza hai? I nodded in yes. Later someone else came with iftar," Akhtar wrote on Twitter and also posted a photograph of the meal served to him on the train.

Thank you #IndianRailways for the #Iftar
As soon as I boarded Howrah #Shatabdi at Dhanbad,I got my snacks.I requested the pantry man to bring tea little late as I am fasting.He confirmed by asking, aap roza hai? I nodded in yes. Later someone else came with iftar❤@RailMinIndia pic.twitter.com/yvtbQo57Yb

— Shahnawaz Akhtar شاہنواز اختر शाहनवाज़ अख़्तर (@ScribeShah) April 25, 2022

IRCTC officials said the meal for Akhtar was arranged by the on-board catering manager personally.

"The staff was readying to break their fast and the passenger boarded the same coach. He told us he is fasting, so the staff shared their iftar with him. This is basic humanity," Prakash Kumar Behera, On-board Catering Supervisor, IRCTC, told PTI.

The staff received accolades from netizens, who also pointed out that Akhtar should thank the staff on board and not the railways.