(click for larger image)
After Dhool Bhaet at the Ramnathi Devasthan, I walked around heavenly rice fields and stopped by the canteen outside the temple for a cup of Chai. Next to me, this gentleman savored his morning cup. Quintessentially, he poured it in a saucer and slurped!
Typical of the Konkani, he carried a puncho – a coarsely woven, gauzy towel around his neck. Loved the way he sported his watch, just as my grandfather adorned his Favre Leuba; and his shirt pocket was stuffed.
He was the first to ask me, “Ramnatha Bhaetik Aayla?” Yes Sir!
Note he asks: Have you come to meet with Ramnatha? NOT Have you come to worship Ramnatha? Time marked every wrinkle on his face. He parted with “Dev barae karo” ~ may God do you good!
I grew up on Kaapi. During hostel days, we debated attributes of the perfect kaapi till the sun lit the horizon. Then I swore I’d never live without kaapi!
When acidity affected my running a few years ago, I switched to the refreshing Almond Pista milk. When I travel to India, I switch to Chai. Not tea! Tea conjures ghastly images of bloated, corpse-like tea bags, floating in white styrofoam cups. Please don’t call that chai!
In Mumbai, Chai is what laborers drink: the zhadu wallah (road sweeper), paan wallah, bus conductor, … . You see them pressing tiny glasses with thumb and index finger, and haltingly sipping the hot elixir. As it passes over the tongue and gullet, eyes roll in delight and a sigh of relief escapes each sip. When you are in the mood for only a few sips, a cutting chai costs half as much. At 3 rupees, a cutting chai (how many pennies is that?) is the best value in town. This is in canteens where you share worn through formica tables with sweaty commoners.
Your perfumed girlfriend will never go there. Take her to Coffee Day, where the guy behind the counter (in a goofy hat) makes a big show of using the coffee machine to froth the milk, and then drops a tea bag in it! *shudder* He has the gall to charge your 25 rupees! Bloody Murder!
Where is the Shiv Sena when you really need them! Will someone please tell the MNS dada to stop scoping bars and turn his attention to these coffee shops! They! are a dire threat to ‘our way of life.’
Wasn’t it the brave freedom fighter, Bal Arunladhar Tilak who famously proclaimed:
a three rupee cutting chai is our birthright, and we shall have it!
Canteens outside the Ramnathi Devasthan Goa appear to be ideal places to capture Chai drinkers. A few years ago, I immortalized these two, enjoying chai time at the canteen next door.
Visit the Ramnathi! Great Chai and salvation too!
Marathoner, Professor, Author, Citizen Journalist, Fitness Nut, Foodie, Meera's father, Hindu, Scientist, Photographer.
heeee even though I love chai made anyhow, when Im in a hurry I make my teabag dip dip chai
heee yes but starbucks chai is still yucky and dunkin donuts too… the teabag chai I make at home is good for me 
, my folks back home cant stand me drinking my teabag tea this way …. “Zyada Angrez hogaye hai” I would hear them mutter…heeeee
The general teabag tea is certainly yucky.
But on this visit to india I brought back some Tetley Masala Chai – tea bags, and when i make those at home for the late evening chai – (when I only want a quick cup) I am surprised how good they really are.
Ha ha! why use the tea bag back in India, when there are tea-places ALL over the place.
and of course, I too get the “Phoren return? OK!”
Another beautiful post – so glad to have stumbled upon your blog today! I was telling my three year old today (who is obssessed with trains and loves drinking rooibos tea) about how in India there are chai sellers on trains and how the tea comes in beautiful little cups which are thrown out the window onto the tracks. He was incredulous, wide-eyed, and loved the story. Said he ‘I would keep my cup’. Said I, ‘I always keep my cup too.’
The magic of the train journey! You should take your son on a train ride in India!
and so nice to hear this dialogue between you and your son. Thank you for sharing!
yes, on this trip I had innumerable cups of chai; after the first cup I looks earnestly for a trash can on board – alas, none were to be found. Then I crumpled the empty cup and snuck it under the seat. The best that i could do. They should have trash bins on the train.
Liked the snap….Even I am a two rupees chai drinker. Love every sip of it. Have to end my day with it.
When u pay rs.35 onwards for some coffee chain, so that they can have more outlets in Bangalore, you will never get this taste.
Cheers.
Thank you Leo for sharing your sentiment!
Yes, those chains are mushrooming all over and… do we call it progress?
Time for a few sips!
Thanks
I came upon your link at Vegeyum. And then I saw this picture of the “tea drinker”.
Just had to say its a lovely picture. And went through your Goa posts. Just reminds me how lucky I am to live here.:)
Thank you Aparna! And Ganga does have a fabulous site, no?
Where in Goa are you based. As you could tell based on my posts, we head to Goa very routinely. Love it! What a relaxing way of life.
And thank you for introducing me to your blog. Very interesting! Will visit more later.
Best Wishes and Thank you.
Nice post Arun..Yes. cutting is the best!!
Thank you Jeffrey!
about now, I could go for a cutting chai!
what a beautiful post!!!
Thank you, kindly!
sorry, I have not been much of a surfer these days.
Bestest!
hey i m not a chai person but a “Kaapi” person but hv heard lot of people explaining the real chai..
the first pic reminds me my next door neighbour who always leaves his house in the same attaire..
Heh! You should click on one of my Kaapi links in the article! Yes! We grew up as hard-core kaapi drinkers!
Ha hA! you have good neighbors!
Sorry .. there’s a type on Crisis ..
no pb! I make my share of them!
Hi Arun.. enjoyed reading the article..
You did not mention all the roadside chai wallas esp next to colleges/ offices who run their business mostly on credit… I know a lot of people who used to run up bills with these tea shops.. wonder how they are coping with the credit crises.. being experts unlike the wall street kinds I am sure they won’t let it bil over… keep on writing..
Hi Sean:
Thank you for sharing your comments.
The Chai wallahs by colleges and offices, usually clear their bill at the start of the month when folks get paid, or students receive their money from home!
Of course, you always hear stories of some students who have been delinquent for months; That is where the word of mouth gets out and the students are essentially shamed by their colleagues for jibbing a poor chai wallah!
Similar mind set happens in Micro-credit and thus the miniscule default rate!
Hope you guys are enjoying Atlanta!
So far great.. some of the snow managed to follow us here… hope all is great your end…
Ha hA!
So you HAD to use your gloves, snow scrapers, etc.
Enjoy Spring!
Arun Ji
Just by reading your write-up I can sense the heavenly aroma of CHAHA(chai). Ummmm !!
You must have definitely seen the CHAI TAPARIS(small tea stall as in Marathi, my mother tongue).I used to get refreshed only passing by along side these Taparis.
You made me nostalgic about all those college days when we used to have cutting chai [some of us would literally sing to the chai wala Kaka "Ek cutting chai ,pani kum".I dont know where that amusing antic came from].
Cutting chai and Parle-G biscuit(costing Rs.2,that was all we could afford in those stingy days).
But those were the days !!
And you are absolutely right about the CCDs and their tea bags and TWENTY FIVE RUPEEEEEEES !!!Absolute murder !!
Here in the US tooo I really pity those people drinking tea,aka TAZO CHAI at Starbucks !!Some times those people include me and my husband [:P]
Thanks Arun Ji for reminiscences…..Thank you[:)]
Manasi (MS)
Issaquah,WA
Thank you Manasi for your beautiful comment!
And great to hear that we were all so frugal during our college days! yes, Chaha and ParleG were the staple and got me through most evenings!
Haven’t stepped into Starbucks in a loong time and hope to keep it that way! And enjoy your trips to Starbucks!
Hey Arun,
Yep.. me been to Kedarnath when I was in my Seventh standard. We climbed all the way up.. wonderful experience.. If you are planning to go then go after a week or 2 week of the temple opening. We had gone the next day and everything was cold. There was noelectricity too properly as the generators were coming up with us itself
he he he.. . We had been to Badrinath and then Kedarnath.. You going to Mangalore in summer?? We are planning a trip in June as I have my exams.. Yes we are still in China. Hubby’s project got extended.. me learning Chinese yey!
Ujwal:
Interesting! Thanks for the tip! And hopefully we will be able to walk up as well!
And yes! I will likely be in Mangalore in June for a friend’s thread ceremony – don’t know how its all going to work out. but it will;
Will be great to see you in Mangalore! And lets have kaapi at Taj Mahal!
And Yaay for Chinese! Ni Haao Maa! my three words!
Though I am not a kaapi or chai person.. I still remember the chai that we had o our way to Kedarnath… We had walked all the way up and whenever we got tired we stopped at those small tents where they made elaichi chai.. That was the first time I had chai.. and I was bowled over. Served in small matki it had usually 2-3 sips.. we must have stopped almost 7-8 times and I had chai everytime
Mangalorean’s are crazy about their coffee 
Back at home amma makes goDda kaapi…She adds jaggery and water andlets the water reduce to half before adding coffee powder. The house smells so good.. Hate the coffee sold a starbucks they are too strong for my taste.. BTW you must be aware of the famous TajMahal Cafe,Carstreet coffee
THank you Ukwal!
and you have been to Kedarnath? WOW!!! One of my goals for the next year or so. lets see how it goes! And elaichi chai in a matki seems utterly divine. Must experience that; Will!
I’ve had goDda kaapi, but never at home; parents were always the ‘sugar’ type. I know I missed out on something big.
Of course, Taj Mahal kaapi is legendary. hopefully I will get to savor that this summer ;-P You still in Chin Desh?
Hey Arun, I wud like to join with a cup of Chah with this gentleman.
I love “Chah” but not more than 2 cups (half mugs). In my family we ppl call it “Chah”. 
Of course, my morning chah is with ginger & chah-masala flavour. And you are right we can’t find the same flavour of Chah around here. And what a joyful experience of road side Chah! We never imagine it here around. 
But, I never forget to sip Chai from road-side chaiwalah whenever I visit India. 
Sometimes, I think I should have my own business of making Chah here in Australia like Chai walah. hehehe…:D
Aahhaaa…ur post also reminded me my Pune’s hostel canteen days.
What a golden time of my life!!!
you are right Sonu, at home we do call it Chah! but aiee/papa make kaapi, so its outside chai for me. And yes, when I make it here in Boston (now every morning, its with ginger!).
Sorry, did not realize you are in Australia! Nice! Hope you are enjoying it!
isn’t it amazing that in hindsight, those college days were always the best!
Have you seen this post?
http://arunshanbhag.com/2006/11/12/live-well-today/
Live Well!
aha..Arun ..The only kind of chai I have when in india is kadak chai & cutting chai..from where? from the road side tea wallas- they are the best and I have more than 3 cups at a time.
3 cups of cutting chai! Thats cheating!
those cups are too tiny and I too keep drinking. Perhaps we are getting used to the mugs here.
will reply to your mail!
Oh I LOVE chai. Yes, real chai. The chai they serve in Starbucks and cafes is so strange. I think they use vanilla or something as a flavoring agent. So I avoid chai at these places like the plague, until I can get my hands on some real chai.
Oo Kaapi near the Guruvayoor temple in Kerala is to die for. Absolutely godly…I suppose unsurprisingly, given its proximity to that temple.
Sometimes it’s hard for me to choose between good kaapi and well-made chai. One of life’s great dilemmas I suppose.
Exactly! Starbucks uses a concentrate to add to frothed milk; You can buy that concentrate in the grocery stores too! I stay away from those! Make my chai on the stove top every morning! My meditation: watching it come to a boil!
ha ha! great dilemma! Too bad we have to settle for only one!
and awesome about that Guruvayoor Kaapi! Have heard a lot about that temple – is on my Short-short list when I cross over into Kerala next time! Thanks for the reminder! Must plan for April! Meera will love it too, no?
Certainly. I think it’s a great temple for kids, I mean especially considering the temple is specifically devoted to the child Krishna (Unnikrishna).
Oftentimes in Kerala, when babies have their first feeding of solid food, parents will have the ceremony there and then make them play with these little red beads that are in a huge metal vessel in the temple. The more the babies play with them, the more mischievous they will be later in life. Case in point, my brother was throwing those beads all over the place and he was (and still is) very playful and mischievous.
WoW! I didn’t know about these activities there. Meera is already taking solid foods, but I am sure she will have a blast with those beads. All the more reason to take her there. After all, she is named Meera, a great devotee of Krishna!
Thanks for the info; learning something new everyday!