Chah and Chatter

When I was a little girl, I would see my parents drinking tea multiple times a day. Beginning from morning tea, evening tea, sometimes to fill the boredom but I never understood the reason why? The only thing I clearly remember is that every time I asked for a cup for myself, my mother would tell me, "You shouldn't drink too much, it makes your skin grow darker." till the day I started disliking tea. But it was just a joke.

It wasn't until I left my hometown for an educational opportunity in Jaipur, the capital city of the state of Rajasthan in India, is when I realized how a small cup of tea or rather how 'cutting chai' connects people. It was 2021, when I recall those days, I remember a man named Vinay, he had a small tea stall right across the road from my accommodation. We were five of us who joined together. We were just 18 year old chaps who had for the first time, left their home for better opportunities. We were shy, curious yet, scared. There were three of our seniors, who in order to know us, wanted to break silence which is natural, isn't it? They called us down to the garden in the society where we were accommodated and took us along with them to ‘Vinay bhaiya's thari’ or brother Vinay's tea stall. We all were served milk tea in terracotta cups. Tea served in any other cup can never match a terracotta cup, it adds a different smell and aroma to your drink which is incomparable with any other. Although, to think about it, it wasn't anything special until it became. With every sip, we would open a bit more, talked more about ourselves, about our views, life and aspirations. There and then, that little tea stall by the roadside, became our everyday spot. From the next coming years this became our little ritual. Every year a new batch would come, and the seniors would take them to the same stall for the very same reason.

This is what I mean to tell you, tea in our lives as Indians, is not just a beverage, preferably an emotion, a symbol of hospitality and an art of conversation. Now when I think of my parents I realize, it wasn't just a drink for them, itwas a way of spending time together on the same table in this hectic life, it was an excuse of socializing and bonding with neighbors and friends, which hasn't stopped in years. Offering chai to guests in India, is a sign of respect, hospitality and warmth. It is likely extending an invitation to connect that bridge gap, heal wounds and creates lasting bonds.

"A cup of tea is an excuse to share great thoughts with great minds." -Christina Re

Chai in India, could be any tea, but usually refers to black tea, with some milk added in a ratio, with added sugar. Some people may add ginger, or some whole spices like green cardamom as well. It doesn't take long to brew chai, but it does lead to long discussions in a diverse country like mine. language may be a barrier here but not a problem in the presence of chai. It has connected us in ways even sometimes we hadn't thought.

From bustling streets to quiet village corners, chai tea stalls serve as normal gathering spaces where people from all walks of life come together exchanging ideas savoring the warmth of human connection. The aroma of steaming chai wafts through the air enticing passerby to stop, sit, and relax in the moment. The chai stall becomes a level playing field, where hierarchies are forgotten and genuine human connections are made.

In this world of fast pace and disconnection, this little ritual reminds to slow down, connect with surroundings and savor life's simple pleasures. As the saying goes "Chai pe charcha"- discussion over tea is quite a reminder that all it takes a cup of tea and a listening ear to bring people closer.

“The first sip is joy, the second is gladness, the third is serenity, the fourth is madness, the fifth is ecstasy." - Jack Kerouac