DistantNews
Support us
🇮🇳 India /Culture & Society

From Indira Gandhi's 'antakshari' to Modi's 'sabudana khichdi': Book reveals PMs' dining table stories

From Hindustan Times · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • A new book, "The Prime Minister's Table," explores the personal lives of Indian prime ministers through their food and dining habits.
  • The book features anecdotes gathered from interviews with leaders' families, friends, and cooks, covering seven decades of Indian food culture.
  • Authors Purabi Shridhar and Sanghita Singh aimed to uncover the "human side" of leaders, revealing intimate stories beyond their public political personas.

A new book titled "The Prime Minister's Table" offers a unique glimpse into the personal lives of India's leaders, focusing on their culinary preferences and dining experiences. Published by Manjul Publishing House and authored by journalists Purabi Shridhar and Sanghita Singh, the book delves into the kitchens and dining rooms of prime ministers from Jawaharlal Nehru to the current premier, Narendra Modi.

Are PMs just primary political figures? What lies beyond their political and public persona was a subject I found intriguing: their homes, family life, friendships, working relationships and dining table choice and talks.

— Purabi SridharCo-author of 'The Prime Minister's Table,' explaining her motivation for the book.

The book compiles stories gathered over seven decades, drawing from interviews with the leaders' families, cooks, and friends, as well as visits to restaurants associated with them. It aims to document the evolution of food culture surrounding India's prime ministers, tracing a shift from the grandeur of royal kitchens to the everyday meals of democratic leadership. This exploration seeks to capture the personal side of individuals often defined by their public political roles.

Putting together the book was a long process and not very easy either. Doors were thrown open- by nonagenarians to youngsters; doors were slammed shut, but finally persistence paid.

— Purabi SridharCo-author of 'The Prime Minister's Table,' describing the process of gathering information for the book.

"The Prime Minister's Table" highlights diverse anecdotes, such as former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi playing 'antakshari' with her doctor, Manmohan Singh assisting his wife with chores during their early years abroad, and Atal Bihari Vajpayee's fondness for Lucknow's chaat and golden fried prawns. It also recounts Prime Minister Modi guiding a party worker's wife on preparing 'sabudana khichdi'.

By the time we finished writing 'The Prime Minister's Table', it no longer remained a book but an honest tribute from us to the leaders who shaped our country post independence.

— Sanghita SinghCo-author of 'The Prime Minister's Table,' describing the book's purpose.

Co-author Purabi Sridhar expressed her intrigue in exploring what lies beyond the political and public persona of prime ministers, including their homes, family life, and dining table conversations. Sanghita Singh added that the book is an "honest tribute" to the leaders who shaped post-independence India, with the goal of unraveling their human side through intimate stories of family dining, vacations, and official trips.

As we travelled into the past of our Prime Ministers, we uncovered intimate stories, from family dining memories to vacations and exotic official trips. Our attempt was to unravel their human side.

— Sanghita SinghCo-author of 'The Prime Minister's Table,' explaining the book's focus on the human aspect of leaders.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hindustan Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog