In frames | War lights a kitchen fire

When India’s first LPG cylinders rolled into Pune households seventy years ago, many saw them as exotic objects. Burmah Shell, which was to become BPCL later, was the supplier. The large metal canisters that created a cool, blue flame seemed like a luxury in a country dependent largely on firewood and crop residues for its cooking needs. Kerosene stoves were modern innovations then. Some feared what came to be known as just the cylinder many decades later. The infrastructure for delivery was weak, and growth in LPG usage remained tepid. Well into the 2000s, LPG was not the dominant cooking fuel even though the cylinder had become a household name in cities and large towns. A government scheme spearheaded a surge in LPG use. This surge was driven by imports from the Persian Gulf that came down to zero when the West Asia conflict erupted, disrupting Indian life that had yet to shake off the memory of the pandemic.

The Hindu’s photographers have captured images of a population relearning how to cook with energy supplies that are going back to basics. Coal, firewood and everything in-between. Restaurants have slashed items from their menus. Hostels in colleges and schools too are cooking what would be energy-friendly dishes even if they are not the most liked. Induction stoves are selling like hot cakes. Meanwhile, two ships laden with LPG have left the Persian Gulf and are heading to India. But they will supply only two days of India’s imports. India needs at least one such ship to call on its ports every day to return to normal.

Text by Dinesh Krishnan

Global crisis, local impact: People waiting in a queue for LPG cylinders in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, following shortage in supplies. Although the government has cautioned against panic buying, the queues persist.

Out of work: Amid the fuel shortage due to the war in West Asia, lorries that deliver LPG cylinders from bottling plants to different parts of Tamil Nadu lie idle.

Stocking up: People carry home LPG cylinders on their two-wheelers from a depot in New Delhi.

Coal comeback:Workers at a soft coal godown in Lucknow. With commerical users turning to alternative fuels, demand for coal has risen.

Stoves that defy shortage: Firewood stoves are being used following the LPG crisis at Samridhi@Kochi, a budget eatery jointly run by the Kochi Corporation and the Ernakulam District Mission of Kudumbashree as part of a hunger-free initiative in Kerala.

Back to basics: A worker unloading traditional tandoors (coal/wood-based furnaces) from a van in Lucknow.

Essential commodity: A worker cutting wooden logs at a firewood shop in Neyyattinkara, Thiruvananthapuram. The price of firewood has shot up exponentially with the increased demand from hotels and households.

Eternal flame: A traditional cuisine restaurant in Neyyattinkara has used firewood for its cooking requirements since its establishment. The eatery is patronised for its unique menu.

Crisis brews: A hotel in Bengaluru has drastically reduced its menu to just coffee and tea. Earlier, it offered a wide variety of snacks and meals.

Hunger’s fuel: Members of a local NGO serve food to the poor and needy in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. The office-bearers of the NGO say they will have to rely on firewood, as they have run out of LPG cylinder.

Heart and hearth: A woman at Faqir Gujri on the outskirts of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir cooks on a traditional clay stove.

Published - March 15, 2026 10:55 am IST

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