Tea or commonly called as CHAI , a drink brewed in every other house in India.
There is something typical about early mornings in most Indian households. A little before dawn sets in, my mom jumps
out of bed, slips her feet into her chappals and immediately rushes into
the kitchen to begin her daily warming-up ritual: put the water in a Chai vessel to boil (yes we do have a specific chai vessel for the job), sprinkle in some black tea, pour milk, add sugar (and
perhaps some ginger for extra flavor) and let the dance of cha-cha-chai begin.
While she may then choose to brush, wash, bathe, walk, jog or pray, the
tea continues to brew slowly in the pot, losing its golden colour
to turn copper black and then blending with other ingredients to assume
the hues of typical Indian masala-chai. She pours it
into cups, ready to greet me with a good morning and a cup
of tea in my favorite cup.
I am a self-proclaimed chai enthusiast! My love for Indian tea goes back to my childhood. As a child, I would run to the kitchen when a sudden whiff of aromawould lift up and lure me to find my father straining earthy chai into delicate cups. I was never allowed to take even a sip, it was forbidden. It was only in my mid-teens that I rebelled and got my mom to make me some in smaller quantity. But now I have learned the magic to prepare a perfect cup.
The many chai selling businesses sprawling across the city are only making me happier by the day. Nowadays I have grown a fond for tandoori chai. Who knew something as simple as a cup of chai combined with tandoor can result into something extraordinary.
It is delightful to see our regular masala chai doing the rounds in the distant corners of the world, warming souls all over. Altogether, it is an inexplicable feeling when you get the same flavours delivered to you in insulated boxes coupled with biscuit and rusk.
