While writing this blog, I am sipping hot masala chai. Welcome, tea lovers…Happy International Tea Day! May 21st is celebrated as International Tea Day. With milk or without, a cup of hot piping tea gets us going, activates our thought processes, and, of course, takes us back to our childhood memories. Chai has always been an integral part of our lives. Since I was a child, chai has been a constant companion. Every sip is a journey back to those carefree days filled with laughter and warmth. When I was a kid, I used to look forward to having chai in the evenings with my parents and brother, and now, with my husband and kids, especially during the weekends. After marriage, I look forward to having my father’s spicy hot chai whenever I visit my parents! For most Indian households, early mornings begin with a cup of chai with toast bread in ghee or rusk. In the evenings, a cup of tea with samosa/pakora or some snack is typical in nearly every household, especially when the weather is nice. 

Whenever I feel low, chai does the work for me. Do you know? It may sound hilarious, but as the night falls, I look forward to the next day morning to have some chai. You see some reason to drink tea. So the first thing I do after I get up from bed is to make some fresh chai! A perfect cup of chai is the best way to start the day. I like to louse around on the balcony with a cup of chai. I like to sit in solitude with my chai cup in hand. Whenever I am reading or writing, I need to have my tea. I guess most of us share this personal relationship with chai!

Be it doodhwali masala chai or black tea; tea is a conversation starter, a mood lifter and refresher, a go-to for gossip sessions and important meetings, and the one thing you need after a tiring day. The latest fad – green tea, chamomile tea, jasmine tea, and lemon tea may have their fair set of fans, but for me, certain things are for the soul and not the body, and a hot cup of doodhwali-flavored chai spiced with cardamoms, ginger, and pepper is one of them. Some have tea without adding milk owing to health consciousness, but I can’t imagine chai without milk. As I slowly begin to sign off, my elder son’s “amma chai” in the early mornings begins to echo in my ears, and my younger son’s “amma chai unda?” (Do you have chai kept for me?) resonates in my heart!