The war in Iran was always going to creep up on India, the world¡¯s second-largest destination for oil exiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Surprisingly, the biggest immediate impact has been on popular dishes like dosa and dal makhani. State-owned refiners are forced to eat their losses to keep trucks and tractors moving, but commercial kitchens are starting to crater under a severe shortage of liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG.
In the 1973 energy shock, India¡¯s industry leaned on coal, but its homes relied on the erratic availability of liquid fuels. LPG cylinders were a rationed luxury and all middle-class families had kerosene stoves. The situation has flipped now: Buses, taxis and kitchens have switched to some form of gas to curb pollution. But unlike oil, which can be stored in rock caverns, gas requires super-cooled tanks or pressurized vessels. India¡¯s storage buffer is thin, and therein lies the germ of the current crisis.
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