I hope most of the Indians can relate to what I am about to say. Chai is not just another beverage. It is a feeling, an emotion, a culture, and a tradition.
To be honest, I am not a massive fan of the taste of chai, it's, of course, delicious, but that's not the reason why I drink chai.
For me, chai is a getaway from reality beverage, taking a pause, taking rest, taking a break from all the work we do, to relish the short but precious moments we get every day. It is the emotional connection that I have with chai that makes it so special.
I enjoy the journey and the ritual that I take while preparing the chai. You could say that why not coffee? Why I am talking about chai here and not coffee. Coffee is not an emotion. It does not require a ritual to be performed; it lacks the journey. While chai takes you into another realm where everything is okay. You forget your pains, you forget troubles, you forget your worries, you forget your work, you forget all the things that you need to take care of.
The journey starts with just boiling the water, and while the water is boiling, you are trying to find the mortar and pestle that is hidden somewhere in the kitchen, and you have hope and optimism, probably more than the way your life going, that you could find 'adrak' in the fridge.
You have also disrupted the section of masalas in your kitchen to find 'long' and 'elaichi.' You again always have hope that you will find all the ingredients you need to make a chai.
Somehow, I always have the ingredients available, but I never take a log of the required ingredients. I just happen to have them always in my kitchen. It is surreal!
When the time comes to broom the leaves, I savor the moments when the color of the chai turns. The addition of the milk, slow-simmered over low fame, only adds to the anticipation of the product. And you wait for the chai to get ready. just like a child waits for a promised treat,
In the end, the caravan always finds its destination. And you pour the chai into a glass that has its own charm. The sound of chai pouring into the glass was accompanied by the wafting aroma; everything was so precious at that moment.
Finally, you settle down; you just cannot drink the chai anywhere; you find a perfect spot near the window. And you wish of raining or snowing.
The 30-minute pause on your day has a more profound effect on you than anything that happened on the day!
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