Ciao to Chai
Snuggled in the cosy layers, battling the bone chilling cold, I realised that one thing without which I can not function is a cup of unsweetened, steaming hot sepia hue ambrosia called “chai”.. My dawn breaks with a cup of tea, work begins after a cup of tea and reaching back home , first thing my languished self does is brew a cup of energy and reinvigoration . I make no bones about being a tea junkie.. or a tea snob.
Infact a cuppa is panacea for me.. bit under the weather, encased in aloneness ,grappling with wide range of emotions,sorrow haunting like a wraith… a cup of tea undoes the ennui.. to bring that joie de vivre with family and friends , cherishing good and chasing away not so good memories , a cup of tea hits the spot.There is nothing that can not be bettered with a chai ka cup.A swig of tea changes the saturnine faces to smiling ones, a swig of tea never fails to perk me up.
Chai is infact ingrained in our DNA, no road trip is complete without a pull over for that cup of chai at dhaaba to recharge the battery , no train journey happens without grabbing a cup from grubby hands of the chaiwala screaming chai garam at top of his twangy voice and no marriage kicks off without the nervous bride traipsing with a chai serving tray..Chai -paani is the hush money to grease palms , tea is identi (tea )& necessit( tea) of Indians.. Urbane may steep it in an English manner, desi may slurp it audibly, pair it with biscuit dunked in goodness of chai to a heavy meltdown in mouth..my idea of a relaxing weekend is reclining on a mound of pillows, slurping countless cups, noshing on nuts-and reading a book… a jagjit singh playing by being the icing on cake….so chai is indispensable and my constitutional necessity .
But Camelia- Sinesis( the name of the amazing bush ) is quite a late comer to our country , it is just by turn of 19 th century that we were aquainted with the elixir of happiness .
We may be locking horns with china for being a nasty neighbour , but the credit of accidental invention of tea dates back to 2737 BC, Chinese emperor Shen Nung was sitting beneath a tree while his servant was boiling the drinking water, when some leaves from the tree blew into the water and he offered the infusion to Emperor, who loved the accidentally creation.
And from that day Chinese tea leaves sipped from a china porcelain cup with loads of cheeni makes it a chinese gift to world…
And this Chinese tea is said to have been introduced to England by the wife of king Charles ll , catherineof Brangaza, her native country Portugal had colonies in southern China and Catherine brought two important historical things-in her dowry—-a casket of tea and set of six islands which later became Mumbai..
And after being considered an elite drink in Europe , Britishers via east india company introduced tea to india… not out of concern for our tea deprived tastebuds or honouring our epicure, but it was out of spite , to reduce the financial dependence on Chinese tea, as a result of social , economic and military contest between west and China. They smuggled the seeds and labourers to north east India and hence was born the Darjeeling tea. Albeit ,we have our indigenous Assam tea in heaps now..yet we are flushed in gratitude to china for befriending us with Camelia Sinesis .
So the cheery cup of paradise brewing in our kettles has travelled a long arduous journey to tantalise our palates. Be it adrakchai, masala chai, black tea… lipton, or any label… say ciao with chai and cheerios with chai……as it is our bes(tea) and always our cup of tea!!!!!!!!
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