Is Narendra Modi vegetarian?

Modi belongs to the Modh-Ghanchi-Teli (oil-presser) community. Unless I am mistaken, this community is traditionally non-vegetarian. Somebody correct me if I am wrong. [ Someone asked me, why I mentioned a community name when the Q was about a person. The reasons — 1) To show that an individual is NOT always the community he/she belongs to. 2) To break the stereotyping common with our part-vegetarian society. “So & so is such & such caste? Must be pure vegetarian.” Or “ ‘That’ caste? They eat anything”. 3) At least in these modern times, food is largely a personal preference, should have nothing to do with caste/creed. I must add, if a born non-vegetarian turns into a pure vegetarian, people appreciate him/her on their self-control, strong will, blah blah. But when a born vegetarian eats non-veg, he/she is looked down upon as someone “weak”. Such critics miss the point. When they imply a vegetarian eating meats is tantamount to “weakness” or lack of self-control, then that label in principle applies to ALL non-vegetarians!! ] But as a person, Modi is strictly vegetarian and loves simple Gujarati food. khichdi is his most favorite Gujarati dish.

Gets up at 5.00 am. After bath, does yoga and getting ready at 7:00 am. Has breakfast. Likes to eat Thepla, Dhokla or Poha. In lunch, prefers Gujarati or South Indian light food. Dinner includes bread, lentils and curd etc. In Navaratri, he observes fast for 9 days and during that time he eats only 1 fruit in a day.

khichdi, khichdi, khichdi……

vegetarian plate meal that featured saag, salad, dal and curry

The fruits man

Anything veg will do nicely

Moti Khaas Biryani made with longest grain basmati, high quality saffron & the purest gold cottage cheese pearls - “Veg only, please!”

Observes a fast during Navratri. And during this time he consumes only lemonade and a cup of tea during the day. (Source: NDTV) Chef Sanjeev Kapoor curated and cooked a lavish vegetarian meal for Modi Now is the time I detail my own views: I was born into a pure vegetarian family that did not use even garlic. Being curious by nature, as a kid, I tried chicken/mutton biriyani. I found it very “delicious” and had been eating meats once in a while. Soon, my stomach told me, “Look! What your tongue loves, I don’t even like”. Then I stopped in toto. My view is, it is not the meat content per se but it is the spice that makes the dish so mouth-watering. If all spices were to vanish from earth, a good 99% Indians would stop eating meats! What one eats since childhood, he would not mind that, neither the looks nor the smell of the stuff affects him/her.

Once when I was in Germany, an Indian colleague bought a full broiled chicken. He ate the spiced top layer and left the rest - “it is tasteless”. I didn’t mind that, so, I ate the rest. Once a German colleague came to my desk saying, “Siva, I brought for you a small present, it is called xxxxxxx in German (a raw calf meat dish). It is the MOST delicious dish we Bavarians value very much. It is very very special”. Just imagine a lump of butter floating in a dish of coconut water. It looked like that. The smell was such that I was obliged to stop breathing for the short duration he was there. As soon as he left, I pinched my nose closed and then dumped the whole stuff into toilet and flushed it twice. Then I felt VERY guilty for what had done! Another Indian colleague once told me, “I am QUITE fond of non-vegetarian stuff. There is practically no Indian dish I did not try & enjoy”. Then he added, “Once I was in China on an assignment. I tried their stuff but did not like it much. One day, out of curiosity, I went to see the local Wet Market. The sights were grisly enough but the smells were so OVERPOWERINGLY REVOLTING that I had to run out of the place. I was afraid I would vomit. Such was the stink.” As you have observed, what is mouth-watering aroma for the locals, was a stink for him!!! Then I asked, “Say, that stuff was cooked and given to you, would you eat?” He said, “Not on my life!”