The Chai Chronicles !!!

 Brrrr... The chilly winter morning with a lethal wind cutting through the fog, the stressed morning sun making a desperate but unsuccessful attempt to rise above the thick barriers of fog and pregnant clouds. Only the very brave or the very helpless have ventured out of their blankets onto the  streets. But through the impenetrable dark fog, a little dim light around the corner presents an unusual glimmer of hope...its a little tea stall (aka chai ki dukan, chai ki tapri, kitli).

A tea stall around the corner is a common occurrence across any city, town, village or hamlet in India. Every Indian (except those who are hung up on milk or those who prefer the exotic coffee) is a tea drinker. Not just tea but the quintessential Indian masala chai (Chai Tea according to Starbucks whatever that means) which is a sure shot cure for that unnerving winter chill or warm summer blues or on a cold rainy evening.  Just holding on to the hot beverage and slowly blowing into the boiling liquid brings the much needed respite from slumber and torpor. As you bring the hot cuppa to your lips, the strong fragrant vapors of the piping liquid rejuvenate the system and one short sip of the liquid brings to life every pore in the body and you feel enveloped in the warm, loving, almost therapeutic herbal embrace of ginger, cardamom cinnamon, pepper and cloves.

Chai in India is nothing short of a religion. Most Indians are used to sipping chai even before they wake up completely, be it winter or summer. The quintessential chai ki chuski (tasteful sip) gives the necessary jolt to push out the sleep and pump up the energy for the day. Every home has a recipe for the drink using specialized herbs or spices depending on the palate of the family and resourcefulness of the tea maker.

Indians drink tea all day long across all seasons.  In the Indian context Chai is not just a drink. A cup of Chai in India (which incidentally sounds so similar to the Hindi word for love (Chah)) has myriad of connotations. It can denote a mother's love, a wife's treat, budding friendship, building camaraderie, a break from monotony, relaxation and renewal depending on the time of the day and the person with whom it is shared. Though kids are not allowed to drink tea I started my tea innings at 4 as I hated the smell of milk and so my mother mixed it with tea to get me to drink it. Needless to say I was hooked and today I proudly consider myself one of the best masala chai makers and drinkers I know. :-)

With the chai being so much a part of the Indian way of life I always believed that just like the “mighty zero” and “the eternal chess” this too was a proud Indian discovery. But a chance program on the EPIC Channel (The only sensible Hindi Channel on Indian TV see here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iagO0mQlIFM) opened my eyes to the facts. Here they are. 

• Tea was discovered in China 4700 years ago and came to India much much later brought by none other than the British. 
• The first commercial production of tea in India only began post 1820s. And much like their other contribution- the railways- Tea too became an indefatigable part of Indian way of life.
•  Thanks to the British, India began to give tough competition to China in production and export of tea not to mention the millions it made for the coffers of the British government. 
• Even today India is the second largest producer of tea but thanks to the trillions of cuppas sipped up by its billions, 70% of India's tea is used at home.

As  the chai so  the chai wala (Tea shop owner) occupies a position of importance in the Indian diaspora. A typical chai shop in India comprises of a small table with a stove and a couple of stools to seat the clients. Every chai wala has a special recipe and flavour and a very loyal clientele .The chaiwala provides specialized service to his loyalists as per their tastes and preferences-whether a kadak mithi (strong and sweet), malai marke (full of cream) or cutting (a real small portion). In fact he even plays the role of  the good listener and agony aunt to the harried tea drinker who pours out his sorrows over sips  of the soothing 'potion'.  The chaiwala is hence a key source of local undercurrents and gossips and to some extent a thought leader.No surprise then that a former "chaiwala" now occupies the most important, powerful and respectable position in the Indian Government . Long live the Indian Chai !!!!