Chai Puranam : The Story Of Tea & Me
My childhood was spent in a small hamlet known as Mudgad in Marathwada , Latur district.
When I was born, tea was already a staple drink in my village. But in the past tea was never a staple drink for the majority of Indians.
Tea was consumed in few areas where the know how about the tea plant and usage was infused in the culture for generations.
During my childhood, my father Dharmaji Tekale used to say that there were some tea companies who used to demonstrate how to prepare tea and offer it free to the villagers.
These companies persistently distributed tea to many regions in India where tea was a foreign drink.
Slowly the villagers including mine became fond of it and they did not mind spending a paisa for a cup of tea. Thus the British Tea companies like Lipton and Brooke Bond spread their wings.
Today at the age of 85 I am an addict of tea. I start my day at Brahma Muhurta l.e. at 0430 hrs.
After my bath with a prayer for the waters of 7 rivers to merge in my bath water thus “Gange Cha Yamune Chaiva Godavari Sarasvati, Narmade Sindhu Kaveri Jalesmin Sannidhim Kuru”, I prepare a cup of tea and I go through my Nitya Path l.e. daily dose of holy scriptures.
Sometimes I do take green tea, but often I am in the habit of consuming my Brooke Bond tea as I feel bonded with Arthur Brooke, who founded this co. in1845 and he named it as Brooke Bond as he wanted to have a bond of good will with the people who drank this nectar on earth.
In Rigveda it is said that we drank Soma juice and we became immortal: Apam somam Amrita Abhum. Similarly in this twenty-first century we can say that we drink tea & become immortal:
Apam Chayam Amruta Abhum. Actually Amrutatulya is a favourite adjective given to Tea shops in Maharashtra
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