International Tea Day: Manav Kaul, Rajesh Tailang, Paritosh Tripathi and Priya Malik on books and poems around chai

Hindustan Times

21-05-2025

'Coffee is for meetings but mulaqaats happen over chai!' On International Tea Day today, HT City talks to actor-poets on why tea is an enduring inspiration for them.
Manav Kaul's poem Purani Thandi Chai from his book Katranein (2024) reads:'Hum wahi baithe they usi ped ke neeche wali chai ke dukaan pe, jaati hui patjhad aati hui thand ke beech. Yahi woh jagah thi jahan hum mila karte hain aur chai ki chuskiyan lete huye ghanton batiyate rehte.'
'It goes back to those initial tough days of long theatre practice in Bhopal and Mumbai, and relief used to be chai breaks. I have been doing theatre for the last 25 years, so chai has subconsciously come in everything. People say all my plays and books have element of tea in it while my social media is filled with chai stories.,' he says, adding, 'Kitni bhi coffee pi lo pyaas to chai hi bujhati hai! Baat-cheet humesha chai pe hi hoti hain.'
Manav adds, 'Also, I am from Kashmir and different types of chais – sheer (noon), kehwa and lipton – are part of life there. Chai is an important element in my life and writing as well! Whenever I go to Indore, Bhopal and Lucknow I love the roadside tea. But, while travelling to roads, jungles and mountains I try to make my own tea as I am very sensitive about it!'
'Rajesh Tailang shauharat ke highway ke rahgeer hain. Khoobsoorat kavitayein lutate aagey badh rahe hain. Yeh highway shayad chaand par pahunch kar ruke! Dear Rajesh, wahin chai pe milengey!' poet-lyricist Gulzar had written in his note for actor-poet Rajesh Tailang's book Chand Pe Chai (2022).
'The romanticism of a young theatre artiste and the quest to change society and the world all happen over chai at road stalls. It's the most important thing in the theatre world. And, chand (moon) is every lover's delight, especially if you are Gulzar sahab's fan. Date ka matlab humare liye chai hai, not coffee! So, the thought was, 'What's a better date than chai on chand?''
He adds, 'Date ka matlab humare liye chai hai, not coffee! So, the thought was what's better date than chai on chaand! Will love to write something on chai more... cutting chai, 2x3 called 23 no chai or 3 ki 5 chai all this is so fascinating.'
'If we go back a little, chai is an excuse for friends to meet over a chit-chat or two lovers meeting over chai. Chai pe mulaqaat hoti hai, coffee par to meetings hoti hain. Maybe that's why we have songs like...Mummy ne meri tujhe chai pe bulaya hai! In my book Chaay-Si Mohabbat (2021) there are lot of similarities between chai and mohabbat — warmth and the perfect balance in sweetness," says Paritosh Tripathi.
Tripathi adds, 'Most important with tea is companionship — saath se bahut farak padta hai. As a theatre person, chai-samosa are a staple for me. Personally, I consume 1.5-2 cups in a go and in my poetry book there are lots of elements about tea. In India, I don't think there is anything above tea — from a chai ke tapri to the person heading the country.'
The actor starts her poetry show Chai Aur Kavitayein with the audience being served adrak wali chai. 'That creates a 'mahaul'… There is a fun poem Chai thandi ho rahi hai which is about my parents,' shares Priya Malik, recalling how her mum prepared the morning tea, while her dad handled the evening tea.
'Interestingly, whenever my father made tea in the morning, we'd know they'd had a fight and he was trying to pacify her,' she adds, declaring, 'Tea works better than sorry. My husband was a coffer lover, but I turned him into a massive tea lover!' For Priya, chai is an emotion that binds people and serves as an icebreaker after fights. 'I wrote: Mujhe pyar hai tumse usey kehna ka ek tareeka aur bhi hai – chai piyogey.'
Her poem reads: Sab kuch hone ke liye tumhara hona bhi jaroori hai, yeh garam chai ki pyali tumhare bin adhoori hai, ab ek aisi baat kahungi jo maine hazaar baar boli hai, jaldi aao...chai thandi ho rahi hai.