The PM’s penchant for economy and thrift was seen everywhere. For example, on tours on her aircraft whenever breakfast was served it consisted of vada, chutney, sandwiches, one or two seasonal fruits and coffee, all this stuff brought from the South Indian Coffee House in Connaught Place.
Once, the Minister for Civil Aviation happened to be on board with the PM. When this breakfast was served to him, he was a little surprised but somewhat unhappy. He called the PM’s PA and questioned him, “Can’t we even serve a decent breakfast to our PM?”
The PA informed him that the menu was according to PM’s own choice and that it had been the same since Panditji’s days. Without asking anybody, the Minister ordered Centaur Hotel to provide the breakfast on every tour PM undertook. On the next tour, breakfast packets sent by Centaur Hotel were served to all, including the PM.
On seeing the packet, she called the PA and asked him about this “novelty”. The PA informed her that this was done at the behest of the Minister for Civil Aviation himself. The PM asked, “What was wrong with the earlier arrangement?” However, she had the Centaur breakfast all the same without further questioning, not wanting to disappoint the Minister, as was her wont.
Though the PM had no fads about her food, whenever she went on tours to different places in the country, she preferred to savour the local cuisine or food cooked in local style. For example, when in the Southern states, she preferred South Indian food or coffee; in Gujarat, dishes like dhokla, khakra, etc.; in Rajasthan, local dishes like dal bati, churma, etc.
Once, in Murshidabad in West Bengal, for lunch the normal dal roti and chawal was served for her but she could smell fish being cooked in mustard oil, ready to be served. She immediately asked for it and had a liberal helping of “mach-bhat” and liked it very much.
Similarly, once on tour in the interior parts of Himachal Pradesh, she was invited for dinner where the food was cooked in Tibetan style with yak butter put in the soup. She took a full meal not sparing anything. I was a little apprehensive that this unaccustomed food may cause some stomach upset and wanted to give her some medicines as a preventive step but she refused, saying, “The food was very good and I quite liked it, and so nothing will happen to me, don’t worry.”
Once on a tour of Andhra Pradesh during election time, the PM had to stay in Hyderabad for two or three days at a stretch. We were staying at the Raj Bhawan where our rooms were on the first floor and the PM’s suite was also on the same floor. She would be served all her meals in her dining room but for the rest of us, there was a common dining room on the ground floor.
One morning, when I went to see the PM, as I did every day, I found her sitting in her dining room waiting for her breakfast, which was brought in soon after. Since it was breakfast time, I wanted to leave so that I could also take my breakfast with others, but the PM, being kind and considerate, suggested that I could also get my breakfast in her room and join her.
I told her that I would like to go down (to the common dining room) and eat there with others. Light-heartedly and somewhat surprised at my preference, she enquired, “Is there something more or extra or additional being served there that is not served here?”
I knew what she meant, and replied, “No, not that, but they (other members of our party) will be waiting for me.” On reaching the breakfast table, I found there was the usual bread, butter, fruit, tea and some hot idli, vada and upma, so I ate some of the latter and washed it down with a cup of hot coffee.
After finishing my breakfast, I went to see PM again, just in case she had something to tell me. She had nothing special to tell me, but asked, “So you finished your breakfast; what did you have?” I told her about the South Indian fare which I had eaten.
Surprised on hearing this, she exclaimed, as though in protest, “Look, they cook such nice things – idli, upma, vada and other things for breakfast – but for me, they bring only toast and butter, they don’t get the other things for me, why?” It was almost like a schoolgirl complaining about “discrimination”.
After waiting for a few moments, I tried to explain, “Perhaps idli, vada, etc. is their everyday meal but they think this is not good enough for VVIPs from Delhi, there should be something special for them, that’s why?”
“Is this special?” she asked pointing towards the breakfast table, saying, “This coffee, there is such nice South Indian coffee, but for me they bring this tin of Nescafe.” A little later in the day, I met the keeper of the Raj Bhawan and remembering PM’s remarks, advised him that whenever they made idli, dosa, vada, upma and such things for breakfast, they should send them to the PM also, who liked them. “These we make every day for our other guests, but I will send some for her,” he agreed.
The next morning, there was a knock on my door and as I opened it, who do I find but the Governor of Andhra Pradesh with two tiffin carriers, one in each hand! He said, “Doctor, I have brought some idli for you,” and handed over one tiffin carrier to me; the other, he said, was for the PM.
I asked him, “Sir, why did you take the trouble, there is everything in the kitchen.” It seems some distorted version of the morning’s incident had been relayed to the governor for him to take things in his own hands in this way.
Two or three days later in Andhra Pradesh again, an election meeting had been organised by the local Congress Party, at a place quite near Hyderabad. Incidentally, there was a defence production factory close to the venue.
The public meeting was scheduled to be held early in the morning. The Defence Ministry was very keen that the PM pay a short visit and also inaugurate an exhibition they had arranged, either before or after the meeting. The PM had agreed to accommodate their request.
She had her breakfast early that morning before leaving for the public meeting. She reached the venue, addressed the meeting and went on to see the exhibition at the defence factory. Since it was breakfast time, it was expected by the officers that the PM would eat her breakfast with them in their mess.
But time was running out and she had very little time for the mess. They tried hard to tempt her saying that they had some hot idli, dosa and upma ready. Perhaps the information about PM’s preference for South Indian breakfast had reached them. The PM kept saying that she had already had her breakfast. Time was running short and she had moved to the exhibition area while they were still insisting on breakfast. Not one to disappoint her hosts, the PM asked them to bring whatever they had prepared. “I will eat it here”, she said.
Quickly, somebody brought some plates, spoons, etc., and two or three plates of idli and other items. Since I was also standing there, they gave me a plate too and another plate piled with idlis to her. She kept saying, “Look, I can’t eat so much, somebody should share”. Since I was standing nearby, she told me, “Doctor, you should share.” She pushed one or two onto my plate.
“That is enough”, I said. “Take some more,” she insisted. I was fumbling for a spoon but she advised, “Use your fingers.” I picked one or two and put them in my plate. All this happened in full view of the people around.
Everyone was perplexed about who this man could be, whom the PM herself was offering food to; he seemed to be eating out of her plate! My share price shot up immediately. Later, while we were leaving, a senior officer from the defence factory came up to pick up my medical bag and carry it to the helicopter. Another remained with me throughout the day to help despite my protests about it being unnecessary.
Excerpted with permission from The Unseen Indira Gandhi: Through Her Physician’s Eyes, KP Mathur, Konark Publishers.