Khana peena, PM style: New book explores the food traditions of India’s Prime Ministers

Indiarsquos Prime Ministers have always had plenty on their plates and not all of it was politics A new book The Prime Ministerrsquos Table Delicacies amp Diplomacies from the Era of Nehru to Modi Amaryllis Rs 1499 by senior journalists Purabi Shridhar and Sanghita Singh explores the private world behind the countryrsquos most powerful office through recipes memories kitchen rituals and dining traditionsLaunched at The Park New Delhi the evening brought together families and friends of former Prime Ministers who shared stories rarely found in history books From gheefilled childhoods and India Gate ice creams to PV Narasimha Raorsquos vegetarian table and Atal Bihari Vajpayeersquos fondness for Purani Delhirsquos chaat papdi the anecdotes offered an intimate portrait of political figures through what they ate and sharedAt a formal dinner during Rajiv Gandhirsquos US visit in 1985 Seated to his left is Nancy ReaganldquoFollow the food and you begin to discover the personrdquo says Shridhar who believes the stories around a meal reveal a prime ministerrsquos life away from the public eye ldquoIs a PM just about policies and office Certainly not What is cooked in hisher kitchen and served at the dining table carries family history and heritage along with the people who form that universe from relatives and friends to colleagues political comrades and staffrdquo she addsThe amount of research and interviews that went into the writing of the book by both the authors is extensive The idea was to humanise them Most information for the book came from interviews with people who spent time with themAtal Bihari Vajpayeersquos favourite was pharre rice dumpling stuffed with lentil filling steamed or friedldquoImagine Indira Gandhi playing antakshiri on a trip to Kashmir which was narrated by her doctor KP Mathurrdquo says Singh adding ldquoWe used food to unravel their personalities Most had simple tastes with a few exceptions who enjoyed experimenting Morarji Desai for instance was a frugal eater who survived on one meal a day supplemented by fruits and nuts At the other end was Atal Bihari Vajpayee who could happily feast on chaat and lassi in the lanes of Lucknow or Chandni Chowk Prime Ministers such as Manmohan Singh and IK Gujral meanwhile had impeccably maintained tables thanks to wives who were accomplished cooks and knew how to balance good food with healthy eatingrdquoSanghita SinghTelling of tastes and timesThe Prime Ministersrsquo homes over the past eight decades mirror Indiarsquos changing sociocultural landscape and its regional and economic diversity Singh shares ldquoWe had three Prime Ministers mdash the NehruGandhis from Kashmir mdash who settled in Uttar Pradesh and came from an established background Then there was VP Singh born a prince crowned a raja and eventually elevated to the countryrsquos highest office IK Gujral and Manmohan Singh were born across the border while PV Narasimha Rao and HD Deve Gowda came from the South Narendra Modi keeps it simple with primarily vegetarian largely Gujarati foodrdquoDr Manmohan Singh helping himself to a bowl of kheer one of his favourite dessertsState of state dinnersSingh points to the kitchens and state banquets as spaces where the backgrounds preferences and personalities of different Prime Ministers became visible ldquoEach brought a regional and personal culinary identity to the table gradually shaping a more confident panIndian expression Nehru was among the first to consciously Indianise state hospitality replacing bouquets with garlands and spirits with orange juice for toasts Indira Gandhi reworked state banquets through the menu presentation and etiquette while introducing touches of Western food from apple pie with custard to volauventsRajiv Gandhi took this further sending chefs to the UK for training and introducing nouvelle cuisine He is also credited with the baby naans still served today IK Gujral or rather his wife Sheila brought further changes all contributing to the evolution of a distinctly panIndian identity presented with priderdquoPurabi ShridharShridhar adds ldquoThere was and remains strict protocol around official hosting but some Prime Ministers added a personal touch Indira Gandhi in particular was meticulous overseeing everything from crockery and linen to seating arrangements and above all the menu right down to the soup She would sometimes make an unexpected appearance to inspect the preparations herself Perhaps that was the feminine anglerdquoFood and foreign relationsFood also found its way into diplomacy sometimes in surprisingly simple forms Singh says this was particularly evident in Indiarsquos relationship with Pakistan ldquoMangoes became an unlikely bridge between leaders with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif sending them to Prime Ministers Chandrashekhar and PV Narasimha Rao and the gesture being reciprocated This lsquomango diplomacyrsquo was often used to build warmth between the two countriesrdquoShridhar points to another example of food and cultural exchange ldquoWhen Manmohan Singh visited the White House Barack Obama went beyond protocol to create a memorable welcome even inviting AR Rahman to perform lsquoJai Horsquo These stories made us look at political history not just through policies and positions but through the human and cultural exchanges around them I am sure if a recorded history of Cleopatrarsquos kitchen and dining table were available we would see a whole other side of herrdquoBeyond the political portraitAsked whether the book changed their understanding of political history Shridhar says the research revealed how food could communicate far more than taste ldquoWe discovered how food could also convey power warmth and dissent Nehru for instance had a large facility at home where farmers would leave produce as a mark of respect which he promptly distributed among his staff PV Narasimha Raorsquos simple table told another story At the same time HD Deve Gowda once stuffed a ragi ball into his mouth during a meeting with the IMF chief and later loudly gargled water when pressed on sensitive internal mattersrdquoFor Singh looking at history through food matters because it brings public figures back to a human scale ldquoFood is such an equaliser Whether you are a Prime Minister or a commoner it is fundamental to existence and part of how we celebrate friendships festivals and important occasions This book takes you back to the childhoods of our Prime Ministers their relationships with their parents and siblings and traces the journey from their early years and careers to the Capitalrdquo Singh signs off