चायबाज़ ज्योति (Chaibaaz Jyoti)

Jyoti is a fellow FACEBOOKist and is a member of the "Ek cup Garam Chai ho jaye" Group on FB. When I posted a request for interviews, she was one of the firsts to respond and here we are with her lovely responses. In her own words, Jyoti is a "never-say-no-to-chai-addict full-time stay-at-home mom, a once upon a million years ago voracious n addicted blogger, part time poet and a full-time "perpetually on a learning curve" amateur photographer". Her sense of humor coupled with the love of Tea makes this chaitalk very interesting to read!

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Why Tea??

Why not??

Jokes apart... I guess it's all about the initiation. Once a person is introduced to such an energising beverage at an impressionable age... it's hard to resist it. Tea just happens to be the one for me.

"Chai peenein ke liye, bahaanein kise chaahiye yaaron??

Chai toh khud peenein pilaanein ka bahaana hai. "

- What if you had to make a flavor of tea, what would you have in it, other than Tea leaves?

Ginger... any time. I have tried and tasted many flavors... but nothing beats the plain old "adrakwaali chai". And that's my elixir.

- What would you do if you were given two days in a tea estate?

Drink tea and take pictures... :D:D:D:D That sounds silly... but that kind of sums up what I'll do. Although... if I were to give a more politically correct answer... I would say... try to make most of every moment and get to know more about tea... from horse's mouth.

Wait... do horses drink tea?? :D:D:D:D

- Tea in a cup? or Tea in a steel glass? or Tea in a kulhad (earthen cups) or tea in a paper cup? or tea in a glass? and why?

Steel glass -> C cup -> glass glass -> Paper cups ... in that order.

-> Steel glass : Anytime. A part of the experience while having tea is the feeling of the warm steel glass in your hand. I would exchange that for nothing.

-> C cups: They look artistic, alluring... and are easily available everywhere. So I use it cause it's there... not out of choice.

-> Glass gilaas: Kaanch ke gilaas mein chai peenein ka majja hi kuch aur hai... especially on a rainy day at a roadside tapri. But please don't serve me chai in a gilaas if I am at your house. :D:D:D:D:D

-> Kulhad chai... seems exotic... meant to be savored on special occasions.

Your earliest Tea-Memories...

I have two very distinct memories. Both are very dear to me... so I guess I'll share both rather than just one earliest memory.

My ammamma( maternal grandmother) was the one who introduced chai [ no not chai... tea... she had studied in a convent... so it was always tea for her... never chai. :D:D:D] to me. I was in... 1st standard, when I had gone to stay with her for summer. I used to watch her studiously mix Brook bond Red Label(granules) and Lipton Green label ( tea leaves) and fill it up in her tea can. No on ever made tea like her... so said everybody when they'd visit ammamma.

And she took pride in being meticulous and precise about her tea.

I guess... that was when I was all fascinated and got initiated to the world of chai lovers. :D:D:D:D

But reading another Chaibaaz's answeres... I remembered another a very distinct and a dear memory.

When I was around two, our neighbours were a bengali family. Kaaku( uncle and Kaamimaa( aunty) loved me to lore. Every evening, when Kaaku would return from work, kaaki would serve him cha with either plain muri or jhaalmuri. I was the only one in the house who was allowed to pick muris from Kaaku's cha glass. We would both sit at the edge of his four-poster bed, switch on the radio( those huge old fashioned radio sets) and enjoy cha-muri. I loved these chaa-muri session so much, I would get dressed every evening and go wait at our favorite corner on that four-poster bed, for Kaaku to come back from office and share his treasure with me.

So technically... I must have gotton intitiated at the age of 2. Though, I didn't remember this earlier cause after a while... long before I turned 3, we left that house and moved away and my chaa-muri sessions with Kaaku ended. I grew up and forgot all about the memories till now when I was reading the afore-mentioned chaibaaz's post.

- Do you remember when you had tea for the first time? Is it related to why you like tea so much?

Yes... I guess. Read my answers above.

- If Tea was a person, what would that mean to you? What would that person be like?

It would be my confidante... my shoulder to cry on... my companion of good and bad times... my absolute best friend. And what would it be like... warm, strong, comforting and a joy to be with.

- Your favorite T-picture please...

I would have loved to post a chai in a kulhad picture taken near Manmad station or Kharagpur... but alas... I have none as of now. So please feel free to use any of Archana's pics. I love them all. Just make sure the pics are... steamy... :d Literally.

Please read Archana's Chaibaaz post here.

- Your favorite T-shop? and why?

Where - Vishal Chai ki tapri at Pune University. Why - Loads of memories. And the best chai I have had as an adult, that was not made by me. :D:D:D:D {Ok so now you also know that I think my chai is the best. :D:D:D:D but I know... every true blue chai-addict thinks so too. }

- Your favorite T-quote

I never really thought of looking at tea quotes... up untill now... Tea has always been my elxir. So I'd say... Chai... sabke gam bhulai... Wait... that sounds cheesy.

Let me see... guess this is a good quote... “A woman is like a tea bag, you can not tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water” :D:D:D

What do you say??

- Your website/blog

I don't have one as of now.

चायबाज़ श्रीविद्या (Chaibaaz Srividya)

Srividya is a fellow photographer based out of Mumbai, and I know her through the online world of Flickr, and Facebook for a while now! Its great to have Sri pouring her heart out to the Chaitalk questions!

Enjoy!

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Why Tea?

- The aroma of the tea and and that refreshing taste of tea .

- The fact the you can have tea without milk also

- and a lame one : I always do spelling mistakes while spelling Coffee ,Tea is simple ..even if i dont use 'e' and 'a' it still would mean T

- What if you had to make a flavor of tea, what would you have in it, other than Tea leaves?

A tinge of the heavenly smell of cocoa ( i was staying close to the cadbury factory and that smell of cocoa was sheer madness )

- What would you do if you were given two days in a tea estate?

Okay,Now this a tricky question. a confession here :I love photography more than i love .So the first thing i would do is click photos and then i would try picking up Tea leaves the way they do it in the estate!

- Tea in a cup? or Tea in a steel glass? or Tea in a kulhad (earthen cups) or tea in a paper cup? or tea in a glass? and why?

Never a paper cup or plastic cup .The below in the following order of preference

Tea in a Kulhad : the rustic feel of Kulhad..i jusst love it and the taste is different in Kulhad

Tea in a steel glass: reminds me of home

Tea in a cup:Now this would be just for the love of drinking tea in different kind of cups and its comfortable to hold

Tea in a glass: Tapri Chai...with friends

- What is your earliest memory of Tea?

My earliest memory of Tea is Mom Dad drinking Tea in the hall and we getting to drink Bournvita or Complan or plain Milk and being told that "Chai peeyoge to kaale ho jaoge!"

- Do you remember when you had tea for the first time? Is it related to why you like tea so much?

I dont remember exactly but yes i do remember drinking tea was an achievement because only adults used to drink as stated above .He he he.

- What would you tell someone who does not drink tea, about what they are missing?

I will not tell them but i will prepare an garam ginger tea and make them drink and then they will tell ...

- Your favorite brand of tea and why?

Red Label ,because this is what i have been seeing from childhood and have been addicted to this although in a recent home function when the chefs made the tea,it was just awesome and i had 4 cups of it in a steel glass. When i enquired ,it was Kanandevan Tea . I havent tried it yet ..will surely do soon .

- Your favorite website related to Tea and why?

Jab se pata chal hai ki chai ki bhi websites hothi hain tabse Archana Srinivas's Blog and Chai Ki Dukaan and sometime Kshitz's Chai photos with the desciptions he writes.

- If Tea was a person, what would that mean to you? What would that person be like?

I would not be able to drink it . He would be a mixture of water and milk.. water indicating the mildness and milk indicating the correct amount of boldness to take decisions . Sugar would obviously mean sweetness in the nature of the person . A small peice of smashed Ginger would indicate the adventurous nature. Cardamom would indicate the love.

- Your favorite T-picture please...

- Your favorite T-quote

"ek masala chai" "Ek garma garam chai de do bhaiya"

चायबाज़ संगीता (Chaibaaz Sangeeta)

This is second in the ChaiTalk Serieson Chai ki Dukaan!

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Sangeeta Monga runs an Institute for Personality Development and Grooming in Delhi and caters to a large group of audience. Their testimonials on the institute website clearly substantiate the amount of value that Sangeeta's effort brings to their lives. Please read through the rest of the post to enjoy some tea-time talks with Chaibaaz Sangeeta!

Why Tea?

Tea is the best energy booster, tonic, antioxidant and time pass for me..you name it, it has it

- What if you had to make a flavor of tea, what would you have in it, other than Tea leaves?

I am particularly fond of, other than its green tea flavor and if I have a choice, in that order, saunf/ choti ilaichi/ moti ilaichi/ tulsi/ cinnamon

- What would you do if you were given two days in a tea estate?

I would learn the tea picking to tea leaf sorting to tea making..everything it has to offer..infact I would live in tea garden Lol!

- Tea in a cup? or Tea in a steel glass? or Tea in a kulhad (earthen cups) or tea in a paper cup? or tea in a glass? and why?

In order of preference…

Tea in a kulhar: especially for its earthen flavour

Tea in fine bone china cup : the exquisiteness of flavor and tea sipping is highly enhanced

Tea in stainless glass: I don’t mind this contrast as well because it retains tea flavor and the heat

Tea in paper cup/ disposable plastic is an insult ..an absolute no no!!!!

- What is your earliest memory of Tea?

I desperately wanted to have some and the request was conceded by adding some more milk to tea..I hated this concoction and felt it was injustice for a milk-hater.

Do you remember when you had tea for the first time? Is it related to why you like tea so much?

I cannot recall that, but tea was forbidden to us as children and I guess that is why I have taken to it with vengeance :)

- What would you tell someone who does not drink tea, about what they are missing?

I invariably come out with “ how boring! What do you do the whole day? No time pass???? “ :P

- Your favorite T-shop? and why?

It was long back in my univ days a place called “ Dhaba”…it was actually a dhaba and gave us special ilaichi chai in those workshop glasses..total nostalgia!!!

- Your favorite brand of tea and why?

It is Yellow label and twinings classic (instant tea dip) these days..but I have a collection of green tea at any given period of time. I have a penchant for green tea leaves…so any brand that gives me a strong tea flavor is well taken to!!!

and I was not talking green herbal..that is the latest fad :)

- If Tea was a person, what would that mean to you? What would that person be like?

That person would be my companion.. no tags but a die hard loyalist :) inseparable, cherished and cared for….

- Your favorite T-picture please...

- Your favorite T-quote

Tea is a cup of life.

Please do visit her website by clicking here.

Thank you Sangeeta for your time and responses to the questions about your Chaibaazi!

चायबाज़ आरोही (Chaibaaz Aarohi)

This is the first of Chaibaaz ChaiTalk Series that I plan to do on Chai ki Dukaan! The idea is to find a T-lover and ask some questions about Tea and more!

Aarohi Singh, a self taught artist, is based out of Bangalore, India and paints in Oil, Acrylics, Watercolor, Pastels and works on Paper, Canvas, Metal, Cardboard, Wood, Fabric. A visit to her website is going to make you stick to it for a few hours atleast!

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- Why Tea?

I think it's as much as for the taste as well as for the memories associated with it.

- What if you had to make a flavor of tea, what would you have in it, other than Tea leaves?

I love masala chai. So I use a flavored tea and add freshly crushed peper corns. I also love chai with fresh Pudina or Tulsi leaves or ginger. And very little sugar and milk.

- What would you do if you were given two days in a tea estate?

Find out everything about tea...actually I did. As a child I saw tea leaves being rolled etc. But, I don't remember much. Need to go back as an adult :-)

- Tea in a cup? or Tea in a steel glass? or Tea in a kulhad (earthen cups) or tea in a paper cup? or tea in a glass? and why?

It's in a big fat ceramic mug. Chota mugs are just that- too small.

- What is your earliest memory of Tea?

Seeing my parents and grand parents have bed tea in my grandparents bedroom. Full on service of separate chai in a silver tea set!!

- Do you remember when you had tea for the first time? Is it related to why you like tea so much?

I am asthmatic. Tea contains theophylin. And my mum who is a doctor, gave me a hot soothing cup of chai to help my breathing.I always associate it with comfort.

- What would you tell someone who does not drink tea, about what they are missing?

Ek cup chai say dil khush ho jaata ha...

- Your favorite T-shop? and why?

I am a little biased to the tea I make myself at home.

- Your favorite brand of tea and why?

Red Label- Natural Care. It has the basics and then I add on flavours to it.

- Your favorite website related to Tea and why?

I like your blog and Archana Srinivas's blog- A cup of chai. I feel comforted looking at the images of chai.

- If Tea was a person, what would that mean to you? What would that person be like?

Comforting, multi faceted but with an underlying flavour of richness. But never too strong in their influence.

- Your favorite T-picture please...

This reminds me of Tea, and painting both together! Was taken after a successful day of painting...

- Your favorite T-quote-

Come lets catch up over a cup of chai.

Please do visit Aarohi Singh's website : Art By Aarohi. I was bowled over by the amazing kettles that she has painted!