Shaam-ki-chaai is always very special .
One looks forward to it for that much needed rejuvenating break from a hectic day's work .......and if fortunate luxury permits , then for that enchanting coziness that can only be experienced with a cup full of steaming hot tea , in the happy company of one's loved ones .
For more than half of the past decade , I have had one constant and most loved companion to share my shaam - ki-chaai with .
My Mother.
Her dedication to the beverage was matchless and absolutely and so profoundly passionate
She never said "NO" to tea.
Her passion was so strong that it could not be contained by her alone.
It used to spill all around her and engulf the smallest being within its folds.
One had to see to believe and feel her abundant enthusiasm for chaai.
I remember the long distance train / car journeys when getting a good cup of tea en route would be such a difficult task .
But not for a true lover like my mother .
She loved tea : No conditions attached
The flavour , the aroma , the quality : Nothing mattered .
Her thumb rule was straight : "Chaai Ho Aur Bahot Ho"
Even during the days of her hospitalisation in the Cardiac Care Unit , she would ask for extra cups of tea , which the nurses would most affectionately oblige.
She came home very weak and our hopes for her recovery took a depressing downturn when she refused to have tea.
From that day her condition went from bad to worse .
The struggle to bring her back on the road to recovery seemed a frustrating one
Nothing .....absolutely nothing , not even the best of medicines seemed to be working for her this time orund.
Life from her body kept slipping like sand from one's reluctant fingers even as the doctors tried to tighten their grip on it .......
It is so true that most often happiness comes without making much noise , in apparently trivial moments such as these . The priceless treasure chest fills up gradually.
But before you realise their worth , these small moments become memories.
My constant shaam-ki-chaai-companion is lost forever ......but has left beautiful memories forever.
I love to picture her sitting blissfully in a sprawling lush green tea garden , sipping her favourite beverage in ultimate easement and glory
May her soul rest in eternal peace.......
One looks forward to it for that much needed rejuvenating break from a hectic day's work .......and if fortunate luxury permits , then for that enchanting coziness that can only be experienced with a cup full of steaming hot tea , in the happy company of one's loved ones .
For more than half of the past decade , I have had one constant and most loved companion to share my shaam - ki-chaai with .
My Mother.
Her dedication to the beverage was matchless and absolutely and so profoundly passionate
She never said "NO" to tea.
Her passion was so strong that it could not be contained by her alone.
It used to spill all around her and engulf the smallest being within its folds.
One had to see to believe and feel her abundant enthusiasm for chaai.
I remember the long distance train / car journeys when getting a good cup of tea en route would be such a difficult task .
But not for a true lover like my mother .
She loved tea : No conditions attached
The flavour , the aroma , the quality : Nothing mattered .
Her thumb rule was straight : "Chaai Ho Aur Bahot Ho"
Even during the days of her hospitalisation in the Cardiac Care Unit , she would ask for extra cups of tea , which the nurses would most affectionately oblige.
She came home very weak and our hopes for her recovery took a depressing downturn when she refused to have tea.
From that day her condition went from bad to worse .
The struggle to bring her back on the road to recovery seemed a frustrating one
Nothing .....absolutely nothing , not even the best of medicines seemed to be working for her this time orund.
Life from her body kept slipping like sand from one's reluctant fingers even as the doctors tried to tighten their grip on it .......
It is so true that most often happiness comes without making much noise , in apparently trivial moments such as these . The priceless treasure chest fills up gradually.
But before you realise their worth , these small moments become memories.
My constant shaam-ki-chaai-companion is lost forever ......but has left beautiful memories forever.
I love to picture her sitting blissfully in a sprawling lush green tea garden , sipping her favourite beverage in ultimate easement and glory
May her soul rest in eternal peace.......
