The Bangala Table

The Bangala Table is a photographic journey into the culinary culture of Chettinad and the distinctive world of The Bangala in Karaikudi. Created for the cookbook The Bangala Table: Flavors and Recipes from Chettinad, Rohit Chawla’s photographs document traditional dishes, ingredients, vessels and the visual character of a cuisine shaped by generations of Chettiar hospitality. Rather than approaching the recipes as straightforward food documentation, the photography creates an evocative sense of place through deep tonalities, tactile surfaces, controlled light and intimate compositions. The resulting body of work accompanies a collection of 150 vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes assembled by Sumeet Nair and Meenakshi Meyyappan with Jill Donenfeld. Published in 2014, the book combines culinary history, recipes and photography to preserve and celebrate the food traditions associated with The Bangala and the wider Chettinad region.