Kulhad ki Chai, Duniya Banaye!
~Divyansh Gupta
It all started way back in 2008 when I was an eight-year-old kid on a vacation trip to Manali. The journey to Manali is like a paradise for mountain lovers with spellbinding views, charming streams, the fairytale-like fog surrounding little cottages and mountains, with the mesmerizing lingering scent of pines and freshness. BUT, the temperature was around “-18 degrees Celsius”, which was low enough to freeze me up and blow away my soul even after wearing 2 jackets, mufflers, and an endless list of warmers covering me. So, to cheer up my soul (by making me feel comfortable), we stopped near a “Chai Ki Tapri”. There was this old woman wearing colorful traditional attire and a pattoo (a form of long and warm shawl) and was making chai. I wonder why and I wonder how her chai-making process was so fascinating! It is almost akin to artistry, to the way tea and milk were boiled separately and the masala and chopped adrak, is swirled in rhythmically every now and then to heighten its taste and water in my mouth. The heat of the stove and the smell of chai made me feel that I’m at the top of Mount Everest with a garden of tulips all around and have achieved enlightenment to tranquility. And this memory of 26th December 2008 in Manali remained in that 8-year boy’s mind till date.
Now coming to the taste, it felt like I was now brought back to life after a deadly experience of “-18 degree Celsius” hitting directly to the bottom of my heart. And moreover, it was served in a Kulhad. Well, it is a clay cup that is used traditionally in Indian culture to serve some delicacies. So, as I nibbled on the edge of the cup and then slurped in the magical liquid of Manali the “Kulhad Chai”, the taste of the clay and tea mixed, and brought out the earthly flavor from the clay and felt like I am a step away from attaining Nirvana.
Well I vaguely remember the memories of Manali but I remember the lady here “Kulhad ki Chai’’ and that was this moment when I realized that chai is not a normal drink, it is an addiction and got to know that “Adventures begin with tea”. And so till date, I guess I’ve had more than 5000 cups of Chai and the best ones are those which the vendors serve in Kulhad. People like to drink Kulhad Chai, as it gives a different Aroma and taste. Mouth waters as soon as the name “Kulhad Chai ‘’ comes. The taste is so much better and it’s even more hygienic. It’s eco-friendly, has calcium which is good for digestion and making bones and muscles strong and, moreover, people have also started considering it as a status symbol.
People not only drink tea because of its benefits but also due to the mesmerizing change that it brings in the mood by enlightening up our brain and also reducing our stress with an antidepressant that it has. It keeps us warm as well during winters. In short, it freshens us up and the best part is it also helps us to socialize with the help of its deadly combination “Sutta”.
The relation between Chai and Sutta, is like Indian uncles and Facebook, Science in 12th and Computer Science in B-tech. “The relation between Chai and Sutta helps people to achieve Nirvana”, once a Guptaji said. From politics to Elon Musk, from education to stock market investments people with every sip of Kulhad Chai come nearer to the solutions to these problems 😜
Well, no one could have thought before Anubhav Dubey and his team that this deadly combination that brings people close, could also have an opportunity for an entrepreneur and could be a multimillion start-up and succeed in such a way.
At last, a wise man once said, “Where there is tea, there is hope”. This was brought live by many people, and so let us also have the same, with a sip of Tea (Kulhad ki Chai), in a dip of Hope and make our lives better.
#KulhadKiChaiDuniyaBanayi
