Ek Cutting

For some reason, I can't stop thinking of steaming cups of chai today. Lovely wisps of steam winding above that murky brown, uniquely Indian concoction. Ek cutting. Perhaps I find it comforting? Solace, maybe? Though in the typically Indian context it would mean company. Friends. Strangers. Bridegroom viewing. That first hello, a welcome, a hug, a way of filling that awkard silence, or just sharing a golden one :) Solid Indian hospitality, 'ek chai to lete jao!' (have a cup of tea at least!) Better yet, it could mean nothing, just 'time for chai', and as an Indian, I vouch that could mean any hour of the day / night!

With all the time I have on my hands today, I could guzzle away. Perfect accompaniment for a tussle with words - struggling to fill an application form that demands resourceful use of English. A careless sip or a reverent holding of the warm mug. Aah, I love my chai.

And to think that there was a time I thought drinking tea was a waste of time. That coffee was a more stylish and 'with-it' beverage. Thank God for my university days when (essentially) a lack money meant I chose the Rs.2 chai over the Rs.3 or more coffee. But it ensured that I suddenly belonged to, and understood, the chai drinking motley gang, joining in sometimes scholarly, sometimes eccentric, always entertaining and loud conversations. It didn't matter that the chai was brewed forever and was saccharine-sweet. Or that Rs.2 actually bought you only about 3 sips. No, chai was the new coffee in my life.

England came into my life with tea bags. Initially, I would boil the tea bags with water, the way we desis would back home. Then came the English tea concept - pouring hot water into a cup holding the tea bag, letting it 'brew' or 'stand' thus for a little while, finally stirring sugar and milk ('cream'? Ha!) into it. As students with a premium on time, we usually eliminated the 'standing time' and almost threw the lot into the cup and drank. But homesickness and nostalgia brought the brewing back. Can't be Indian without the strength in the tea, now, can we?

I bristle when the English show familiarity with tea. Unreasonable as it might be, tea for me is Indian. It's chai. How can it not be? Whether it's from Darjeeling or Kerala or Ooty, with cardamom and cloves or plain, it's ours. Like Basmati. Period.

Ummm chai. Need another cup of tea.