India’s Prime Ministers’ food stories come alive at book launch

The launch brought former PMs’ family members and the city’s social set together for stories that offered a more intimate look at India’s political families.

From lauki and sabudana khichdi to fried fish, kheer and golgappas, the kitchens of India’s Prime Ministers came alive at the launch of The Prime Minister’s Table: Delicacies and Diplomacies from the Era of Nehru to Modi in the capital on September 20. The launch brought together members of former Prime Ministers’ families, political figures and Delhi’s social set, with the evening revolving around food memories, family recipes and stories from behind the country’s highest office.

Authors Purabi Shridhar and Sanghita Singh at the launch of their book, The Prime Minister’s Table: Delicacies & Diplomacies from the Era of Nehru to Modi (Manoj Verma/HT)

Authors Purabi Shridhar and Sanghita Singh use food as a lens to look beyond the political persona of India’s Prime Ministers. “We wanted to get away from that. No politics, let’s get beyond that and find out in totality what they were like, what their homes were like, and what better tool than food,” said Shridhar.

For the authors, that simplicity was central to the book. Singh said, “We all know our Prime Ministers, and in our country, we tend to either put them on a pedestal or bring them down. We wanted to shift that conversation and understand who they really were. So the book takes you into their homes, their kitchens, their drawing rooms and their conversations. Food is so basic to all of us.”

The conversation moved from everyday meals to cherished family rituals. Guest of honour Jayant Chaudhary recalled childhood visits to his grandfather’s home, former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, where lauki seemed to make a regular appearance. Present at the event and joining Chaudhary for the panel discussion, Anil Shastri recalled memories of his father, former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, who was a small eater. He talked about how sabudana khichdi became a Monday staple after Shastri’s appeal to families to skip one meal a week during the 1965 war. Other anecdotes offered a glimpse of the personalities behind the office. Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s fondness for fish, golgappas and desserts emerged alongside memories of impromptu gatherings and home-cooked meals.

From family kitchens to state banquets, the evening offered a reminder that food has long been a language of hospitality, diplomacy and connection.