Tea Tales

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It's strange how a cup of tea can forge bonds and improve relationships.

 I had found it hard to digest that the Odia household needed a girl to learn to make that proper, well shimmered, and optimally flavoured cup of tea. It was considered one of the mandatory talents every girl should possess. But my own love for the steaming hot tea pot grew with time and today I love making it. I love the adrak chai, the pepper powder wala chai, the masala chai, etc. Etc. I love the fragrance of tea, the wellness quotient, the look and the taste. Green tea is good too. Organic tea though is the least palatable. My favourite is the assam tea. It's dark red and has an awesome scent. It overwhelms the senses.

I am extremely fascinated by teas and tea leaves varieties these days. I want to try all types of teas and the combinations that are popular in the market like rose tea, Chrysanthemum tea, raspberry and etc etc. I fancy buying so many varieties every day from the Amazon website, but have never yet done so, as it might be considered a waste by others when it reaches home.

At one phase of this fascination I almost went hysterical on seeing tempting packets of tea of a variety of flavours on display in supermarkets or exhibitions or fairs. I would scroll down these tea pages in online shopping sites at home. My sister got really irritated by this and shriveled in boredom.

Yesterday morning I saw Baba smiling smugly in the kitchen. Curious, I went to peek a bit. He had filled a glass mug, completely with tea, and was taking it carefully to the table. I glanced it with a big O. Mama hadn't noticed it, or she would have exclaimed at the idiocy of the act. Who sips so much of hot tea in a single sitting? It would lead to gastric problems. Boils inside the stomach. Bla bla bla. I know I know she is right. But we draw so much fun from making and having tea eluding her watchful eyes. It felt like I was his partner in crime. Lol.

Happy Tuesday ahead. Do tell me about your tea tales! I am all ears!

Linking the post to #UBC , and #DailyChatter.


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Queeristan by Parmesh Sahani

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  Queeristan (Amazon Link) Thanks to Audible Free Trial I listened to this amazing non-fiction on LGBTQ inclusion in Indian workplaces. Author Parmesh Sahani identifies as gay Indian, working closely with Godrej higher management and employees for years to create an inclusive workplace, both legally and in spirit. This book is a result of those years of experience, research, collaboration with individuals from difference spectrum of the society and organizations who has successfully transitioned into a queer friendly one.   Indian history is inclusive. From the Khajuraho temple architectures, to Konark to the Rig Veda, there is existing proofs even 2000 years ago of Indian inclusiveness of queer. It’s the draconian British law that criminalised it, which was scraped in 2009, came into effect once again following a sad judgement in 2013 and eventually was scraped off for good in 2018. I am in awe of the lawyers who fought this legal battle- colleagues and partners – Arundhati Katju
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