India definitely likes her tea. At almost every corner of
the street, length and breadth, criss crossing the country, the chae shop is
omnipresent. And mind that all of them are of different flavours, tastes,
aroma, strength and colour. You won't get the same type of tea anywhere,
because the processes that go into making them are all different. The same
follows in Bengal. The same follows in Calcutta. And it's the same in Lake
Gardens, where I have been residing for the last 7 years now - during which
time having ventured across the umpteen number of chae shops - I have zeroed to
Babu Cabin.
In the bachelor days -bread toast, poached egg and tea comprised the breakfast. Especially
weekend breakfasts- when friends used to come over the previous night and we
dissolved the hangover in the morning tea. The weekend mornings at the shop
literally burst with people - some coming back after their daily bazaar, some
coming for daily dose of adda (a must for a Bengali) and others casually, to
have tea. The one special thing about the shop, which is true even today, is
the service. No matter how many customers are in the queue, no matter how many
different varieties of tea have been ordered, the tea arrives within a minute.
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| Storm in a tea cup? |
Since I was new to the place, during the times when I was
not with a company I used to watch all different men who frequented the place.
There was a man who hardly used to speak to anyone and used to take a corner
seat, take out his Charminar cigarettes, smoke (circa 2005:mind that Ramadoss didn't
implement any anti-smoking campaign. Now they have the Marlboro man in the
walls saying "I want you to not smoke here") and sip. Another
thorough gentleman who, I have seen is able
to speak on a wide ranging subjects. There were others who came from all walks
of life - from the office executive to the next door neighbour to the local shopkeepers - Babu
Cabin was the meeting point of many inhabitants of Lake Gardens.
The shop opens at 5 in the morning and shuts shop at 8 in
the night with a 3 hour siesta break.Also to be noted is the varieties of tea that one can get - some take milk tea with
sugar, without sugar, liquor tea, another unique type called "double
half" - which is extremely high liquor tea and tea goes with biscuits and
the owners even remember who prefers what kind of biscuits. Experience, I
guess. They have been running the shop for near to 5 decades
with a lot of passion, zeal and professionalism - something which needs to be
appreciated. Making tea in oven like temperatures, - baking hot summers to cold
winters - is not every one's cup of tea.
Over the years, the breakfast business folded off. And now
it is only tea and biscuits. Able hands to support the system was one of the
several reasons why breakfast was no longer prepared.
And over the years, our habits also change. Gradually I
started waking up early and started jogging in the nearby Lake. While returning
back from the walk, Babu Cabin's tea became a must. The crowd at 7 in the
morning is a different set altogether from what I was used to see at 10. Here
too, I came across different people from the walks of life. An advocate, who
loves his Royal Enfield. A Doctor, who never misses his morning tea. And a
certain Mr. Talwar, who has always enjoyed his Rafis and Kishores.
The morning sip is the most refreshing sip of the day and
those 5 minutes spent over tea are the most valued moments of the day.
Thank you for reading!
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