The ripple effects of a conflict being fought nearly 3,000km away are now being felt in India's households.
As military actions on Iran impede energy deliveries through the Strait of Hormuz, stocks of cooking gas are dwindling across India, forcing restaurants to shorten food lists, close earlier and in some cases shut down altogether.
Social media is flooded by video clips showing crowds outside fuel suppliers across Indian urban and rural areas as worries over fuel supplies grow. Restaurant kitchens appear the worst hit: the sharpest squeeze is in restaurant kitchens.
"The situation is dire. Kitchen fuel simply cannot be found," says a official of the a major restaurant body.
Most restaurants run either on business-grade gas tanks or pipeline-supplied fuel, and the shortages are now being experienced across the country. "Many restaurants have shut down - some in the capital, many in the southern region. People are adopting coal and wood and induction stoves to keep their operations going."
City-Specific Fallout
In Mumbai, accounts say up to a significant portion of hospitality businesses are already fully or partly shut as cylinder availability dwindle. In the southern cities of Bangalore and Madras, some establishments say their fuel reserves have dwindled with scarce alternatives. "We can only make coffee and no food items - it is extremely difficult. Commerce will take a hit," says a restaurant owner in Bengaluru.
Restaurant managers are scrambling to adapt. "Food options are being cut, some are cutting lunch service and opening only for dinner," an industry representative says, adding that stoppages are fluctuating as supplies wax and wane. "A number of eateries in Delhi were shut yesterday - a couple are back in business. It's a fluid situation."
Retailers observe a spike in sales of electronic cooking appliances, with some saying they are running out of them.
Authority's View
Yet, the government states there is adequate supply.
India has more than a vast number of home fuel subscribers and spokespersons say stocks are being reallocated to households as conflict-related stress from the Middle East conflict affect energy markets.
Approximately 60% of India's LPG is brought in from overseas, and about 90% of those imports pass through the critical waterway, the strategic bottleneck now largely blocked by the hostilities.
The relevant department says that it ordered refineries to boost LPG output for domestic use, raising domestic production by about a significant margin. Commercial stock is being prioritised for vital industries such as healthcare and education, while distribution will be "fair and transparent".
"Unnecessary hoarding and stockpiling has been sparked by rumors. The normal delivery cycle for home fuel remains about under three days," says a senior official.
Widening Concern
Now the concern is spreading beyond kitchens. On online networks, a widely shared video from Chennai shows a long, snaking queue of motorbikes outside a petrol pump. "Anxiety is palpable," the text reads.
According to reports from energy specialists, concerns about India's broader fuel supplies may be premature.
India imports almost all of its oil. Around 50% of its petroleum shipments - about millions of barrels a day - travel through the waterway, largely from Gulf countries.
Even if crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted, the shortfall could be partly compensated for by higher imports of competitively priced oil from Russia, according to a refinery and oil markets analyst.
Based on vessel tracking and credible market sources, additional Russian crude imports could reach around a significant volume of barrels a day, narrowing India's effective shortfall from exposure to the Strait of Hormuz to about a substantial volume of barrels a day.
"A large quantity of Russian oil barrels are currently on the water in the Indian Ocean and, with only India and China as major buyers, those barrels remain a available backup," an analyst noted.
Cooking Gas: The Critical Weakness
The primary concern is kitchen fuel, commentators observe.
India consumes roughly one million barrels a day, but produces only less than half domestically, importing the rest - most of it through the chokepoint.
Refineries can adjust processes to squeeze out a bit more LPG, but even a 10-20% boost would only raise domestic supply to about around half of demand, leaving the country significantly leaning on imports.
In short: "Crude supply risk can be somewhat alleviated through varied suppliers. Refined product supply remains largely sufficient. LPG availability is the key factor to watch in the coming weeks."
What may be intensifying the panic on the ground is not just tight supply but erratic supply chains - and the familiar spectre of hoarding.
An industry representative claims exploitative practices.
"Retailers are exploiting the situation - illegally trading canisters and selling them at a high cost. In one small town, I heard of cylinders being stockpiled and sold at a premium."
For now, India's energy imports may be buffered by international market dynamics. But in restaurants across the country, the more urgent issue is simple: how to get the next gas canister.
