#2. Brewing under the Tea

I have grown in sacrosanct traditions of Northern India. Every home in our place follows the same typical styles & household principles. There are no major variations. Strict father, doting mother & unloving sibling. Grandparents existed but like festivals, make merry in their company & get back to routine.To all this, Tea has been an integral part of the family all the year round. We held it as the ‘decoction of reverence’. Every morning, the kitchen stove is lighted first under a tea pan and seniors essentially break their fast with a sip. The body clock functioning is all synced to the first cup of the day. Unwarranted delays could lead to disruption in schedules. In the event of steeping tensions between the parents, the father disowned the tea cup thrusted on his sides.Kids were upgraded from the milk glass to a concoction which was ‘cheat tea’. This drink was whole milk with very few tea leaves brewed. The drink was an option to bad tasting milk; intuitively one opted for the ‘cheat’, with smugness of being an adult already. Mother’s winked at the father after handing over the glass to kids.Opinion makers in the family advise various Tea concoctions of ginger & bitter cumin to overcome health & medical matters. The over concerned in our fraternity, make it a point to spread & share, copied posts on natural benefits of various teas to fight the dreaded diseases; but believe me, these posts are good to be forwarded and to acclaim your rightful presence in the social groups. At a point, a cup of tea can alone help your headaches arising from these unsolicited spam messages.Man evolves with the changing times. Globalization of the economy tempted us to copy the west. We got a fashion drink ‘Coffee’. Households, under duress, kept a jar of instant coffee. Smart ladies of the house demonstrated their skills of making hand beaten foamy, frothy & creamy coffee. Upscale coffee bars & cafes became new rendezvous for young generation. Celebrities started hosting TV shows over coffee. This became a new corporate drink with many business deals materializing over coffee.I kept pace & quickly learned those sophisticated corporate ethics. Started speaking the swanky names of the various coffees listed on the menu. But gosh! Abruptly things changed and created hell lot of confusion. I ask for classy coffee & the client humbly settles for tea; what with these stylish modern girls, who now claimed their liking for tea.Still in my dilemma, few years back, learnt of ‘Green Tea’. Such an awful taste for a first timer. Do you have a choice; even if yes, humans adapt to their surroundings.I vowed to be myself, until last week, when we were visiting a friend, who out of her generosity, offered to make a special tea, a ‘WHITE TEA’.

‘Change is the only constant’.

                                                                                                             ~May’2017