Posts

Showing posts with the label tea

Freedom in a tea cup

Image
 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 cove

Chai time customs

Image
Tea time is observed with great reverence in my household. At fixed hours in the morning, noon and evening I have my tea, preferably in absolute peace and with my favourite sweets or snacks. Delve a little deeper into the history of tea and traditions associated with it, and I promise you will be thrilled to know the varying cultures of tea all over the world. In China they have loved tea since 2000 BCE. Initially this love was cultivated for the great medicinal values of the plant — its leaves were chewed on, and then later on, it was used for its refreshing qualities. Wikipedia informs us that in the early 9th century, Chinese author Lu Yu wrote The Classic of Tea, which mainly focuses on the cultivation and preparation of tea. For many centuries China was the only tea exporting country in the world but gradually India and Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka, began to give it stiff competition as the soil and climate conditions in the two temperate countries met the requirements f

Not now, not here

It was here just now. This idea that I wanted to write out. This story I wanted to tell the world. It was here just when The door bell rang And a bunch of chirpy girls Tumbled in Bringing laughter and demanding snacks It was here just When the cooker called from the kitchen When the doodh-wala came to ask for his dues When the neighbour rang to ask for spare potatoes When the guard called a wrong number to announce guests When the friend pinged on gmail It was here, in my head Then for a while It swam in front of my eyes Getting hazier with every passing moment And I chased it as I read the newspaper as I sipped my tea as I watered my three potted plants as I sat in the loo trying to recall it as I watched a serial, about the best surgeons in the US I failed to grasp it Simply could not clasp it Now it won't return Says has another concern About others in the fraternity For them it worries and asks me 'Whether they will find a voice Or will