MODERN DAY CHAIWALLA’S OF GUWAHATI

BY NILOY BHATTACHERJEE

They are the new age Chaiwalla’s of Guwahati. Off the street in the boutique, they sell what Assam loves the best. Late than never, Chai in Guwahati definitely gets much better. It’s possibly my roots in the tea gardens of Assam that draw me to the cup every time I cross the Chaiwalla’s. I have several “chai stops’ at Guwahati and I ensure that they fall in the route I travel in the city. When it comes to tea, I am a liberal. Black, green, orange all are dear. I still carry the distinct taste of salted black liquor tea that used to be served in every tea garden house when you visit them. It’s customary as we serve the glass of drinking water to our guest. Plain water in tea gardens is called as “ kacha pani” and this one  simply “pani”.

What saddens me in Guwahati (now my home) is that you do not find a good place to have tea exclusive and to initiate an ‘adda’. Except for the Chai carts where the taste of the tea is directly proportional to the froth in the pan and the toss of the tea from the pan to the cup. The “tea column” that these chai walla create is an art that they master over the years of practice. A strong flavour or cinnamon or ginger often overpowers the essence of the true Assam in this tea. I even had an idea of putting up a “tea boutique “in the city and be a “chai walla, unfortunately it’s still a wish.

Then this “Chai Story” happened. A two storied traditional Assam type bungalow in the posh Uzan Bazzar location. Introduced by a friend I decided to be a part of the Chai story and stepped in to have an experience. The smell of the wooden flooring, Welsh curtains, a fleet of wooden staircase that takes you to the upper floor and round tea tables. It was my new tea destination at Guwahati, where you have tea exclusively. The menu had a plethora of tea ranging from the exotic to the local ones(chalu) as we say. I stuck to my brand and ordered for the normal one. Served in white porcelain cup and saucer the tea seemed more crimson. It is actually how tea should be served and a distant deviation from the trademark ridged glass tumbler that my chaiwalla at the chai stops serves me “special tea”. Finishing my last sip with a sound I paid my tribute to the new breed of Chaiwalla’s at Guwahati. 

However, for those who love to hangout over a good cup of tea, there is the Kesariya Chai and Chai Time where the tea is served in earthen cups. Masala, kam masala, Assam tea are few among the array of variants that these kiosks brew for you. The practice of enjoying tea is that you take a deep breath and feel the aroma before sipping the liquor, these tea scores 8 out of 10 in this criteria. Nothing is more refreshing than a nice invigorating cup of tea and good company to enjoy it. These new breed of educated, enterprising Chai walla’s definitely has added the much needed dimension to tea and tea business in Assam, the home for world tea.

A man from the tea gardens of Assam I often say  “ Aap to peete hain...hum to ismein jeete hain”. Tea is always a good idea.