By Sakshee Pawar
Cold days, cloudy days
Believe it or not;
Even on a hot afternoon of May.
Seasons change, but constant, an urge for chai remains
Highways or by the rails,
Through small towns & cities so great
It's tough not to spot a Chai Tapri
Where the differences of status, colour, or religion, all erase.
By the look of it, one might declare a Chai Tapri as a 'No Man's Land'
For under one umbrella the rich, the poor, the unemployed & the entrepreneur
United by chai, they stand.
People spend only a few minutes of their day on the Tapri
Those few moments however, hold conversations about life, death,
love, war, & faith.
The only time where one might feel free.
Something so exciting about Chai time,
Which by the way can be any hour of the day, you decide.
A call for Chai, enough to push the worries away.
Lemongrass, ginger, & cardomom, is it all that takes, for a few minutes; to keep troubles at bay?
It's a place of possibilities, a Chai Tapri.
Some chai time bonds you create,
Sharing hot sips,
some of these friendships might last for decades
Business deals make or break here
With people old & new
Maybe you go to catch a glimpse of someone who's got eyes for you
Or just to bum a cigarette from a stranger, maybe two?
May the Chaiwalas of India keep brewing blends & shelter us through our stormy days. May your first sip of chai hit home, making you stronger to fight your battles, at least todays...