Till a few months ago, the canteen at Saharanpur’s police line was in a shabby condition. Forget the common people, even the police staff hesitated to go there to eat. There were a lot of complaints regarding its hygiene standards it maintained and the quality of food it served. Then, newly posted ASP Preeti Yadav came to its rescue. She looked into the issues and decided to change the face of the canteen and turn it into a café to attract people.
Now the Bailout Café of Saharanpur police line has become one of the major attractions in this small town of Uttar Pradesh. It is one of the first café of the town and it is all set to start proper dine-in facility soon. All the credits for it goes to Ms. Yadav, who used her creativity in designing the interior as well as the food menu of the café.
During a conversation with Indian Masterminds, Ms. Yadav who is a 2019 batch IPS officer, talked about how she managed to give a makeover to the canteen with the help of her seniors and team.
DECORATED WITH PAINTINGS OF HER OWN
Daughter of a police constable, Ms. Yadav has been a creative person from her childhood. Not only is she interested in interior designing but she is also a good painter. She has already explored various genre of paintings and have special interest in abstract and acrylic painting on canvas.
During her training in the National Police Academy, Hyderabad, she also organised an exhibition of her paintings and received praises for her work.
So, when it came to renovating the canteen, she used her skills and her own paintings, also. On entering the café, one can see prints of various paintings which are done by Ms. Yadav. Talking about the decor, she says, “We took elements from all over and used them to decorate our café. Our aim was that nothing should look copied. I used my paintings for the same purpose. In the special room dedicated for officers, I have hanged five paintings which depict various energies in the world.”
USING WASTE MATERIALS
Ms. Yadav also mentioned that her colleagues, especially the SSP of Saharanpur, Mr. Akash Tomar, supported this initiative. He looked after the funds and other staff members also gave their contribution in terms of work.
The team didn’t want to spend too much on décor, so used some waste materials instead, like baskets, wooden material, iron rod, liquor bottle, etc. “We used the iron rods for making the entrance door. Some export reject materials, especially wood items, were also procured. We painted them a bit and used them. Liquor bottles as well as serving plates have also been used. All these elements make our café unique,” said Ms. Yadav.
Right now, the café mostly serves mocktails and other beverages, along with continental items. However, the restaurant section will soon start dishing out a variety of delicacies soon. Ms. Yadav says that they wanted to promote it as a café, hence the décor and food were selected keeping that in mind. Some chefs and waiting staff have also been outsourced, created job opportunities.
She also mentions that while police families get discount as this has been started for a welfare purpose, common public can also use it for hosting small functions. According to her, the idea is to make the café a one-stop centre for all.
CHOOSING THE NAME
Ms. Yadav says that choosing the name was a difficult process as the uniqueness of a place is determined by its name. “We had too many names in mind. But all of us agreed on ‘Bailout’. It is relevant to police and since it was created after bailing out the old canteen, so it serves both the reasons.”
As for the earnings from the cafe, these will be used in welfare work for the police line, she informed.
