CHAI!

Chalta

Hai

Apna

India

Meri CHAI kahan hai??? (where is my cup of tea?) How many of us like to start our day with this famous dialogue?

I’m wondering why India does not have a national drink… we have a national flag / flower / bird / animal / Youth Icon etc….etc… I propose to designate CHAI as National Drink in the forthcoming parliamentary session and Seek blessings of all political parties. This would be one of those rare unanimously unopposed resolutions, to be passed by both Houses.

Chai is the engine that drives our country! Chai, in India, is popular as a breakfast and evening drink (I don’t know why I’m skipping lunch though - I see all my colleagues running to the tea room in any break that we get!)

Chai forms an indelible connection with so many things in our lives. It definitely acts as a mode of connection to start off with. Our batch, a diverse one, gets together for the ‘chai break’. Chai is the common rope that connects most of them. Most of our gossips happen over that cup of ‘tea’ - I somehow like to call it Chai though. And yeah… it acts as a bribe too!! Anyone who knows something that others don’t – just finance his/her cup of tea and Bingo! It’s just a matter of time before those ‘bribes’ become a way of making stronger bonds with the so called ‘strangers’.

Want to relax in a study program like MBA? Voila - Once again its Chai that comes to the rescue. I’ve seen my mom ‘relaxing’ over a cup of tea ever since I can remember (Hello!!! What happened to spas??) The same goes for most of my colleagues – they say “Its just about relaxing” (I think its just another excuse for having another cup of that sinful drink!)

Does anyone know how many ways can a person have chai? One of my very good friend loves to have his chai from the saucer. Then there is the unmistakable sound – suuuuuuurrrrrrrrr. And ofcourse there are the sophisticated ones – the ones who like to have their chai with no milk, little sugar and a touch of lime.

Can you recall the different types of teas?? Iced tea (my favorite), Black tea (why do people have it??), the conventional tea (with milk and sugar), red tea, white tea, green tea (the last few varieties I just happened to ‘copy paste’ – pseudo knowledge as they say!)

I’ve been to a lot of different places – both hot and cold. They all have their own, unique way of welcoming guests. But again… everyone is welcomed with a common drink (no points for guessing what it is) - CHAI!! I can see as many people sipping cold drinks on a hot sunny afternoon in Delhi as there are having chai. Sometimes I wonder – is that chai served cold (laden with a ton of ice) or am I really seeing somebody having a 50 degree celcius hot drink when the temperature scale reads 45 degrees?

My not so loving chai nature might the reason why I’ve felt left out so often in my almost 26 years of existence. But having talked so much about chai I’m beginning to feel that maybe I should give chai a chance to enter my life too!

I would like to wrap up this discussion with one simple question:

Q: Where is chai available in India?

A: Everywhere!!