PM Modi eating only one meal a day for Chaturmas

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is known for his strict eating rituals, and this time during Chaturmas, he is sticking to only one meal a day.

According to the Hindu lunar calendar, Chaturmas is from 27 July to 22 November. During this time, people are supposed to take vows and fast.

Narendra Modi. AFP

The Indian Express reports that the Prime Minister will stick to this eating routine even when he visits the US for the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York.

Even during his previous trip to the United States, Modi was on a fast for the Hindu festival of Navratri.

"For many years now, Modi has also fasted on the nine days of navratra," reports The Indian Express.

He had just sipped warm water at a dinner hosted in his honour by President Barack Obama ahead of their formal bilateral summit in September 2014.

In view of Modi's fast during his US visit, India had indicated the "dietary preferences" to the host and the preparations were being done accordingly. "He will be taking 'fruits and lime-water' during his US stay," the MEA had told the media.

When the Prime Minister is not on a fast, he follows a strict vegetarian diet. And during his August visit to the UAE, Indian celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor went along with him to cook a special vegetarian meal for the dinner hosted by the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA).

During the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, reports had said that Modi was a frugal eater and preferred only Gujarati meals.

The Times of India had quoted one his aides as saying, "He favours light Gujarati food prepared by his cook. Usually he opts for a simple khichdi diet in the evening. And he prefers lemonade when travelling. These days he is on a nine-day fast for Chaitri Navratri and drinks only warm water with lime."

With agency inputs