The gift I send most to my fellow MSians is the ‘cutting chai’. Not because I have any particular fondness for it but because I am usually short on MS points and cutting chai is the cheapest in terms of MS currency.
When I joined MS it took me a while to understand what cutting chai means. We don’t get cutting chai in Delhi (I think). Its more of a Mumbai trend. Let me define cutting chai for those who are still in the dark - it’s the tea we get at roadside stalls, in no way different from the tea we usually have at home except that it is served in a small glass with quantity just enough for two big gulps or four small sips.
I never thought much of it till a friend asked me what the idea behind a cutting chai is. She is a tea-lover and was wondering why anybody would like to drink such a small quantity and not a whole cup as is the norm. Since I have never had a cutting chai myself, I had no answer for her query. But this triggered an old memory.
My Nanaji (maternal grandfather) was addicted to beedis. No amount of cajoling could convince him to convert to cigarettes. His funda was clear – a cigarette once lighted needs to be finished. But his beedi which gave 2-3 puffs at the most was most convenient when he was in the mood for a ‘sutta’. If he wanted more, he could always light another beedi. We couldn’t argue with that!
I guess it’s the same with cutting chai. In this fast paced life we don’t get much time to sit down for a cuppa. A cutting chai must be convenient to those on the go.
Come to think of it, both the beedi and cutting chai are so ‘Indian’ in character. While the British invented the ‘English Tea’ which is mini-meal in itself, we Indians invented the cutting chai – practical, economical, no-frills. While the world was busy puffing away at pipes and cigarettes, we invented the beedi – simple, humble, unpretentious.
We aren’t called a ‘jugaadu’ nation for nothing. Jai Ho! :)
