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{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Short description|Community kitchen chain in India}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = Sramajibi Canteen
| full_name =
| native_name = শ্রমজীবী ক্যান্টিন
| native_name_lang = bn
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| established = April 2020
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| founding_location = [[Jadavpur]]
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| status = Active
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| region_served = [[West Bengal]]
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| parent_organization = [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]]
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'''Sramajibi Canteen''' is a [[Soup kitchen|community kitchen]] [[restaurant chain|chain]] in [[India]], mainly active in [[West Bengal]], run by [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]], a national political party in India.<ref name="auto3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2021/May/23/cpms-student-youth-wings-back-in-bengal-streets-to-run-community-kitchens-for-lockdown-hit-people-2306528.html|title=CPM's student, youth wings back in Bengal streets to run community kitchens for lockdown-hit people - The New Indian Express|website=www.newindianexpress.com|date=May 2021 }}</ref> Sramajibi Canteen has seen a good involvement of youths from [[Students' Federation of India|SFI]], [[Democratic Youth Federation of India|DYFI]] and from the society. Along with CPI(M) workers, who run it, people from the civil society, film industry, educational institutes etc. have taken part in this. The Jadavpur Sramajibi Canteen is the state's longest-running community kitchen in [[West Bengal]] till now. As of July 2021, more than 20 Sramajibi Canteens are functioning in the whole state of [[West Bengal]].<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/on-day-200-chicken-rice-served-at-bengal-s-longest-running-community-kitchen-set-up-amid-covid-19/story-3cvf1DZGYbjYjSICfQ6ctL.html|title=On Day 200, chicken, rice served at Bengal's longest-running community kitchen set up amid Covid-19|date=19 October 2020|website=Hindustan Times}}</ref>

The daily cost of running the kitchens vary between ₹10,000-20,000 and the money comes entirely from party fund and donations.<ref name="auto1"/>

==Formation==
During the COVID-19 pandemic in West Bengal, the CPI(M) local committee in [[Jadavpur]] started feeding economically weak people in local. Gradually it became the community kitchen named "Sramajibi Canteen", which means Canteen for working class.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://bangla.hindustantimes.com/bengal/districts/cpim-inaugurated-sramajibi-canteen-at-rayganj-31598979291465.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200902095233/https://bangla.hindustantimes.com/bengal/districts/cpim-inaugurated-sramajibi-canteen-at-rayganj-31598979291465.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 September 2020|title=কলকাতার বাইরে পৌঁছল CPM-এর শ্রমজীবী ক্যান্টিন, কর্মযজ্ঞ শুরু হল রায়গঞ্জে|date=1 September 2020|website=Hindustantimes Bangla|language=bn}}</ref> The concept came from Sudip Sengupta, a CPI(M) Kolkata district committee member.<ref name="auto1"/>
During lockdown, it distributed food to thousands of poor people. After the lockdown ended, the kitchen started offering cooked food at Rs 20 a packet which includes 2-3 items such as chicken, egg, fish or paneer curry besides rice. On some days people get sweets too.<ref name="auto1"/>

==Branches==
Sramajibi Canteen has branches in [[Jadavpur]], [[Raiganj]],<ref name="auto"/> Fairlie,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bangla.aajtak.in/kolkata/photo/sramajibi-canteen-has-started-fairlie-place-railway-office-prb-286859-2021-07-14|title=ফেয়ারলিতে শ্রমজীবী ক্যান্টিন, বিনামূল্যে মাছ-ভাত|website=Aaj Tak Bangla|language=bn}}</ref> [[New Alipore]], [[Bally, Howrah|Bally]], [[Jhargram]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newsfront.co/cpim-will-stand-beside-the-people-everytime-said-shatarup-ghosh/|title = জেতা - হারা বিষয় নয়, মানুষের পাশেই থাকবে তারা! ঝাড়গ্রামে বললেন শতরুপ|date = 8 January 2021}}</ref> and many other places in West Bengal.

Jadavpur Sramajibi Canteen was the first to be set up as a community kitchen in Jadavpur in south Kolkata to offer cooked lunch free or in very less price to poor people. It became so popular that around a thousand people visited it every day at the height of the lockdown. It is considered as the oldest community kitchen in West Bengal.<ref name="auto1"/>

Raiganj Sramajibi Canteen was the first to be set up outside Kolkata. The canteen started from 1 September, near the NH-34, feeding 150-200 people on first day.<ref name="auto"/>

==Reception==
Sramajibi Canteen received positive responses from the Civil society and specially from the working-class people.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsclick.in/People-Canteens-Community-Kitchens-run-CPIM-Prove-Big-Draw-Bengal|title=People's Canteens, Community Kitchens run by CPI(M) Prove a Big Draw in Bengal|date=21 November 2020|website=NewsClick}}</ref><ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://bengali.abplive.com/news/calcutta/cpim-runs-sramajibi-canteen-in-jadavpur-for-6-months-741237|title=৬ মাস রোজ পাঁচ শতাধিক মানুষের অন্নসংস্থান, শ্রমজীবী ক্যান্টিনে আর্থিক সাহায্য প্রবাসীদেরও|first=ওয়েব ডেস্ক, এবিপি|last=আনন্দ|website=ABP Bengali|date=25 September 2020}}</ref>

Film director Anik Dutta, actor [[Badshah Moitra]], film director [[Srijit Mukherjee]], actor Rwitobroto Mukherjee, social activist Joyraj Bhattachadya, actor Anirban Bhattacharya, dancer Srabanti Bhattacharya, and others have praised the activity and donated to provide affordable meal parcels to poor people.
<ref name="auto3"/>

Impressed by the service, many eminent people such as doctors, actors, singers have been celebrating their birthdays or anniversaries by donating money for the food and physically serving the packets. Even people from outside states have donated for this cause.<ref name="auto2"/>

Even a drama was performed in [[United States of America|USA]] regarding the social service of Sramajibi Canteen.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aajkaal.in/news/state/sramajibi-canteen-in-america-7ez5|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210728153423/https://aajkaal.in/news/state/sramajibi-canteen-in-america-7ez5|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 July 2021|title=আজকাল || আমেরিকায় যাদবপুরের '‌শ্রমজীবী ক্যান্টিন'‌}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Red Volunteers]]
*[[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Kitchen]]
[[Category:Community building]]

Sramajibi Canteen - Revision history

Nadeem Ahmed: new the post more to come