There's Hope!!

I hold the pen,
I write the words
Of facts and figures,
Of trends and estimates,
And Graphs and charts.

I fill reams full of words, my words,
 But they do not belong to me,
They do not pour out from my depths,
They do not bear my feeling and  emotions,
They are like my step children. .mine but not through me.

I love to write and I live to write,
To drain my ever flowing reservoir of thoughts,
To bear them to the world,
To put myself out there,
To create a kaleidoscope of my myriad fantasies,
Not a mound of these Soulless and Faceless words ..

But then again atleast I have a pen,
So there's hope,
For when it's time it will write. .
My very own words, mirroring my feelings, belonging to me

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 !!!!

Summer Wars !!!

The winter has come and gone. !! The first signs of the end of winter in Gurgaon are not the warm evening air or people sans the colorful shawls and sweaters or the absence of lazy foggy mornings. It is the resurfacing of the sly creepy slithering lizards which the place is infested with. If you are, like me, psychotic about the creatures, Gurgaon can be a nightmare to live in. These lizards have clearly established their domain in the city. No amount of care and cleanliness and fumigation of your home can help you get rid of these omnipresent creatures. They might just creep upon you from anywhere. In the building porches, corridors, gardens, behind the book shelf, under the kitchen cabinet, on the shower curtain or worst still slithering on the floor. There are just millions of them everywhere. Maybe Gurgaon is the safe haven of lizards and they come and settle here from all over the country and perhaps even migrate from colder climates.  I do not have facts or research to support this but my bet is that "Gurgaon lizards" (henceforward referred to as "the creature") are the fastest in the world. I suspect they are also blessed with uncanny supernatural powers to appear and disappear at will.

 When I first moved to Gurgaon from Mumbai I lived in a large and sparsely furnished home away from the city, in the Aravali Hills. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would have to deal with "the creatures" besides missing the hustle bustle of Mumbai and its vivacity. They were of varied shapes, sizes, colors and personalities parked themselves all over the house in their respective corners slyly marking their territory. But they all had a singular common trait- total and complete fearlessness from humans and their arsenal (read measly jhadoos and insect sprays). No amount of efforts and attacks had any effect on them. They just kept coming back and back again. My act was the same every time. "Creature Spotting-cringing-screaming- jhadoo-spray and finally running-hiding and cursing my fate”. Slowly I grew tired of this constant fear mongered war and my Mumbaiyya spirit of "dealing with all adversity" clicked in. One fine wintery morning I had a divine realization.

This war was nothing but a natural progression of living in North India. While in the west where I was born and grew up the culture was of "Being and letting be”, in North it was "Me before he/she". Many blame it on the multiple wars and military attacks to this part of the country over the centuries resulting in a constant struggle for survival of the fittest. I don't really know to what extent it is true but the fact is every interaction in this part of the country is about power play. Whoever is the first to establish the stamp of authority and power is the winner all the way. If you wilt or flinch in the slightest.there!!! the power is gone to the opponent. Be it with the doodhwala (milkman), sabjiwala (vegetable vendor), maid or neighbors and even new found friends. Once you allow the other person to wield authority, you cannot complain of being "taken for granted" or "not consulted" or "lied to". Always always always establish the power. Be it by aggression, assertion or a plain and simple shouting match as the circumstance or opponent category may require.

Once this realization was complete I got my act together in more ways than one.   I decided to mend my ways to deal with the "the creature" too. I realized that just like the rest of the things in North India this play was also about power. So after the first winter (when incidentally the cold blooded creatures disappear completely. Oooh don’t I love the season!! ) I told myself, this is my house and these creatures are not welcome. So I wielded power and fortified my home with specially ordered "Laxman Rekha" chalk (which is said to keep away lizards), got a pest control treatment (though the company rep confirmed their treatment had no effect on "the creature") and equipped myself with a long "jhadoo" and multitude of insect sprays. So when the first of "the creatures" appeared I nearly welcomed them, waiting with bated breath to see the effect of my "power play". But Alas!!! They remained unaffected. It was just business as usual for them. I was totally flustered and irritated. I was ready to pack my bags and move rather than live in this lizard infested place. And we did!!! To a more central location in the city where "the creatures" existed but in lesser numbers.

I have been living for six long years in this house and am in my seventh year in Gurgaon but the war is on. My routine of creature spotting-cringing-screaming- jhadoo-spray and finally running-hiding still continues. Sometimes I wilt and occasionally the creature makes a run for it but the war continues from one summer till the next. My latest divine realization in this case is Man (or woman) exerts no power over "the creatures" and also that not every war can be won. Some you have to just keep fighting!!!!