Freedom in a tea cup

 The country has celebrated its 75th independence day. How about you?

This Independence Day as I made my ritualistic first cup, the air was filled with patriotism. 

I focused on measuring the water for making a cup of tea. I added my standard spice to it and waited for it to come to a rolling boil. Things- feeling of being deficient and insufficient- often visit me during this time. As I don't like being spoken to till I have had my first cup, they have probably begun to get bored and leave of their own accord. Some sweet ones do accompany them at times- reminders of conversations, songs- but I am learning the art of balancing.

I measure the tea leaves with my fingers, letting a tactile sense guide me to the flavour. Sometime I flatter myself and think I know how much of which kind of tea needs to be added to which quantity of water for that perfect cup of refreshment. 

Another couple of minutes of robust boiling and I add milk. I let this whole mixture boil once more and then cover it to allow it to steep while I get my preferred cup ready with some sugar in it. 

I often also think of research that tells you of the ill-effects of having a cup of tea as the first thing to consume upon waking up. I haven't read or even glanced through these papers but I will take the opinion of those who matter in to consideration and shrug my shoulders at the research. Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't.

My father has been a tea researcher. I do not know what that exactly means or entails but I do know how a good cup of tea smells. Quite early in life we- me and my younger sister- were introduced to the ritual that morning tea is. 

I remember my father making tea in the kitchen for our breakfast- mostly a roti- smeared with homemade ghee, sprinkled with a herbed salt. If I focus well I can still recall that taste of the sweet, hot tea that would go so well with that roti.

Milk did  try to make inroads into our lives and my sister's love for it is stuff legends are made of, but tea caught my fancy, , quite early on. As I grew up, stepped out of the house and learnt to make tea, I came under a lot of scrutiny and criticism from everyone I know for the way I prepared tea. My grandmother, who introduced me to the fullness of the flavour of saunf wali chai- declared that it was poison that I made. My mother told my would be MiL that probably our daughter is an exceptional child but just beware of the tea she makes. I could not understand the opposition much. I liked my tea strong and sweet, with the right amount of milk to give it just the colour that matched my complexion.

This amount of milk it seems was the reason for the glares I would get. To avoid those looks at times and at others just to save myself the tik-tik (of a very different nature than what is now a popular form) from the family I would make the lighter version of tea and dump it when no one would be looking.

Fast forward to about 11 years later where I was now a full time mother (is there any other kind? ). Jobless and friend-less in an alien city, far far far from family and relatives (thank god for that!) Life swerved like a car in a Bollywood chase scene.

I was gradually becoming clueless. I lost the concept of time. Chore upon chore piled up high on my to do list. The whole day would pass me by without giving me a moment to breathe. I figured out ( like all mums all over the world do, sooner or later) that if I wanted any time at all for anything which I wanted to do by myself or for myself, it had to be before the household stirred.

Tea, as you might have guessed by now, came to my rescue. While before this enlightenment I had seen tea as an energy drink, a life giver, sleep demolisher now I began to see the whole process of making tea as therapy without knowing its benefits.

Back to the moment, as I poured my tea, I try not to contemplate anything. Being a highly sensitive person, I have found it- tea and in depth thinking to be a hugely problematic thing. So, like the older ones have warned us, never mix work with pleasure, I heed the advice and drink my tea with an almost an empty mind. 

And that is how I unshackle myself every morning and savour freedom of just being.

Happy Independence! May you relish yours and I mine. For as long as we live. 

And yes it indeed is worth fighting for.