Cutting Chai (Akshatha Hegde)

One of the little things that can get you excited about Mumbai as an outsider were these little tea stalls that was there almost every corner of every street. Decide to take a walk and try out one of the most generic beverages know to mankind.

You can’t really pick the spot but there is something in the aroma or the way the froth of the chai moves up and down in sync with the chai wala’s expertise at mixing the tea but you can’t help but be drawn to this captivating sight and soon enough tea is all that you are craving for. The chai wala sat by a tree in Worli near the TV towers which is quite typical, with the barest of utensils with a stove burning lightly despite the pouring rains. You should definitely ask for a masala chai full if you are addicted to spices. He will pour you a cup instantly and a little boy brought it to me and then you indulge and take a sip and it tastes perfect. The perfect blend of spices and milk and sugar and of course the quintessential chai powder. As you stood by the road you noticed that most of the people who were having chai will be having it in these tiny cups which will be half the size of your cup. Once you see this you do get curiousand then you have to know why it’s a half cup and not full. glasses. When you finally overcome your fear of actually being an outsider and do ask you get to know that it’s called “Cutting Chai” which literally means cutting your chai in half. People in Mumbai are so caught up with their work that they have literally no time to waste away. But they never say never to a cup of cutting chai. At any time of the day or night people are always looking forward to have a cup of tea maybe with a little munchies to go on the side. There is a certain charm about stopping in the middle of whatever it is you are doing for a quick drink. As drink away to glory on your “full” cup you realize it’s not just the taste it’s the feeling that wells up when you are having a cup of tea. Its this sense of calm that wells up inside of you, gives you that much needed peace in this fast paced world.

The chai in itself is very simple to make with just little ingredients like sugar,milk and sometimes that something extra special ‘ingredient’ like ginger or lemon or Indian masala. We Indians are reputed for indianising just about anything from Chinese to Italian you get everything custom made into Indian stuff i.e. the good stuff. Its interesting to know that even though this humble drink originated from China, the British loved it and the Indians still swear by it.

You can never get enough of tea in anyone’s opinion from your grandparents opinion to our generation. There is nothing in this world that matches the feeling you get when its pouring cats and dogs outside and you take a walk and you get yourself a hot cup of tea and just stand and watch the world go by in a swirl of colors and raindrops. The feeling is indisputable. There may be a lot of coffee lovers out there but you guys should know this much, you are definitely missing the good stuff of life and it doesn’t get better than having something like chai during the rains.

Be it four in the morning of nine in the night no one argues when it was time for a cup of tea. It’s not only that there is also an instant bond that you form with your regular chai wala where he knows exactly the mix that you like even before you open your mouth to place an order. The telepathy is despicable. His precision at knowing exactly what you need to cheer you up after a long hard day cannot be replaced by anything in this world.

If there is one thing every mumbaikar has to be proud of its there uncanny ability to have chai at any point of time be it day or night. If it goes with a vada pav its even better. Put together a bunch of colleagues or friends and voila! it is perfect rendezvous. Mumbai might be famous for a lot of things like Marine Drive, Colaba, Gateway and how can anyone forget the famous vada pav but in my personal belief the cutting chai which is so right in its name is what gives flavor, aroma and the much needed comfort in the city.