As a remnant of colonial past, we (collectively Indians in India and abroad) tend to dunk our crackers in the cup of chai, tea. These semi-sweet crackers are called biscuits in India! Some of the popular brands are Marie Gold, Parle G, Britania Milk Bikis…quintessential in every pantry, back home in India for unannounced visitors! Just in case, if you are wondering…how often do we happen to entertain an unannounced guest…my answer is ‘all the time’! And, sometimes…I feel my Mommy’s sole purpose of being on this earth is to make chai for those visitors, who buzz around my Father most the time.

Symbolically, “tea and biscuits” is rooted in our tradition from the long-British rule of entertaining a guest who hasn’t been invited to a full sit down meal! And, offering tea is a more subtle way of saying “I am amenable to your invasion of privacy into my abode, but not more than to provide you a sip and a nibble” (n now get the hell out of here) ! Even after, nearly 60 years into post-British-Colonial India, the state’s independence has done very little to clear this off…what the elites call it as “colonial hangover”!

Sneer all you want, but what the swadeshis (self-sufficient Indians) didn’t realize is that this cup of chai is actually a triumph of our Indian ingenuity. When the British introduced and coaxed us to drinking…we reluctantly kept our traditions. We not only added more spices, heavy amounts of sugar and alarming quantity of milk to it…we took it for granted and Indianized it! And, that’s our motto isn’t. Evidently, much of tea sold in India would not be approved by the Tea Association Inspectors! Interestingly its our national drink now!! Ever woke up to the call of ‘chaya chaya’ in the railway station [pronounced as railway-tason, colloquially. ]

On the flip side, this humble tea is a perfect class leveler. The Kaasi sadhus drink it, the corporate company CEO has it, the daily help wants one and her master enjoys a cup too! Tea has played a role in socializing between otherwise very rigid hierarchical Indian society. Sure, now that’s something to cheer about in a country where the gap between the rich and poor is getting smaller.

Well, at the same time…I just can’t ignore the big elephant in the room! The legal position of the oppressed class may have improved since independence, however…the old prejudices are still followed in a different way around! When, we the anthropologists took a closer look, there is no big difference in the preparation of tea, whereas…its all in the cup!!! The ceramic, silverware, stainless steel, glass ware, earthen ware…you name it, and they have one slashed for you in their cupboards! Of course, the consciousness of maintaining standard is done in a different way, today! Though not obviously, but deviously the same and in fact even worse in rural India!!! At least our founding fathers were smart enough to foresee things and made some sensible constitutional rights against discrimination. Now, its good that educated elites can threaten the oppressor with litigation if they found them deliberately using different cups for every customer.

With this cup of chai...lemme break the age-old myth of caste purity and pollution! I am pleased to share the happiness with my fellow Indians. If you are looking for a Recipe??? Its here: Chai. Its the same tea, in a different cup. Go figure.

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