A Cup of Chai
I never understood chai until last year. Chai is just not any other beverage but it’s a form of emotions which we share. The only thing I know is ‘love’ , so I’m writing about it. I hope it resonates with you all, as it does with me.
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It’s early in the morning, we look forward to the day. Gradually and steadily, we wake up from the bed and freshen up. After a while, we look forward to the cup of chai in the morning before starting our day. Chai gradually hits all the chord of your mind, and ask you to be ready for the day.
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When Mumma walks into the house after long hours of shopping, she requests you, ‘hey, can you please put the pot on the gas. I need chai. It’s been a tiring day.’ You just had one of tea before her arrival and you say, ‘yes, please. I will put my cup of chai along with yours. Then, please show me what you have bought or did you bring anything for me’.
This is what I call unsaid love in between family members. When one serves a cup of chai, it’s not only the hot beverage but also a form of love you share with your loved ones.
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When I visit my friends’ place, we keep on asking everyone to make one cup of chai. Each of my friends tries to look away because everyone wants chai to be served by someone else. We have some giggles in between and finally, one friend says, ‘Oh god! you can never get over this. Let me make it for you but next time, it’s you who is going to make the tea’. You agree for a while but deep down you know, it’s not happening.
Well, a friend said, ‘It’s weird but there’s just something about drinking a cup of chai when someone else makes it for you’. Well, we all agree on this mutually. This is the kind of love which we share.
Someone said ‘I need extra sugar! Argh!’
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A group of friends is in the mountain. There is a cold breeze and everyone’s body is shivering in the middle of nowhere. You all care about is ‘bhai, yaar kahin chai mil jays bas. Maza aajayega”. They all look for one tapri where one can have chai in peace. One said with an elated voice, ‘Here it is! Come’. Everyone smiled even after a tiring day. They all sat down and waited for the chai peacefully while looking at the sky full of stars. After its arrival, everyone soaks themselves in the drinking process. There is a room of silence for a few minutes, and after a while, conversation kicks off!
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She yelled, ‘ Yes, I can’t make it better now but I’m learning. If you like your chai so much, then why don’t you make it for yourself.’ a young child said to her parent. Still, everyone in the house had that one cup of chai, even if it doesn’t align with their taste. That is how we try to come out of our structured living by tasting different chai flavors. I wish we could also do the same with our way of thought process.
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This hot beverage — Chai, says a lot of feelings that we usually forget to say aloud which are :
I love you. I see you. I hear you. I need you. I’m sorry. Can we talk? It’s okay. I understand.
Who knew a cup of chai which is a made of few tea leaves, sugar, milk, and water could contain a bandwidth of emotions. Whether you are feeling stressed, exhausted, angry, crushed, or emotional, chai has magical power to bring our lives back to the track sweetly.
While, I have finally written this and now as a treat to myself, I can have one cup of chai. I’m headed off for the same, are you? Maybe later :)
