Masala, ginger, turmeric, tulsi, extra milk, green, sulaimani, sugarless for the health-conscious souls and the famous cutting chai - you name it, the tea vendors have it.
No matter where you work and what you do, the one thing common to 'work cultures' across Indian states is having a cup of tea with colleagues.
That hot chai can be consumed before, after and in-between work hours.
HRs don't grudge you your cuppa. Even gossip mongers, who might cast an evil eye if they see you snacking alone at your desk on the second plate of Maggi, will definitely not judge you for ordering an extra cup.
That is the beauty of tea, the hot beverage that brings people closer. But tea drinking is not what it was ever since the COVID-19 lockdown began. Most offices have made 'work from home' the norm to ensure social distancing is maintained.
"While the reopening of roadside tea shops in all their glory might not happen anytime soon, whenever it does, tea-vendors and drinkers will have to adapt to the new normal if they want to keep the culture alive," observes 35-year-old Srikanth Ramani (name changed), who works for a leading media organisation in Chennai and has never missed his trips to the tea vendor outside his office for almost 11 years now, until COVID-19 happened.
Bhaiya ek chai dena
For the tea chetta/anna (down South) and chai-waale bhaiya (in the North), there is the bigger issue: the missing 'tea-breaks' have hit their incomes, even vaporising it entirely for some.
Meeting these vendors till recently had been part of every Indian's work life. Even those who don't drink tea would have accompanied their favourite work colleague for a break once in a while.
The tea vendor might not know your name, but they sure knew what you drank and whether or not you'd need the stuff that complements a cup of tea - biscuits, bajjis, samosas and, for some, cigarettes.
Most of these tea shops in India are small, overcrowded and won't make it to the list of clean kitchens, a glaring problem in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
"Me and my wife have been selling tea for nine years...," says Shyam, who has a small shop in Delhi's Basant Lok. He is the go-to 'chai waale bhaiya' for people working nearby.
Shyam sells a cup of tea for 10 rupees but feels he might have to increase prices he fears fewer people might come to his tiny shop for safety reasons. "Woh bade log order kar lete hain saaf jagah se," he observes. (The rich people order their tea online from cleaner places.)
Shyam earned Rs 25,000 per month selling tea and cigarettes before COVID-19 happened. He says he and his fellow vendors might have to resort to disposable cups, plates and more dustbins if they want their customers to feel safe. But this will only increase his overheads.
Shyam's is just one of the many such stories from sellers across India.
The importance of a tea break
COVID-19 affected not only tea-sellers like Shyam but also the tea-drinker. It is no secret that many employees in Indian offices feel overworked. They also feel burned-out and complain about toxic work environments. The tea-break was a winding-off session for many.
The New Indian Express spoke to Delhi-based psychologist Bindu Kakkar who said, "Taking planned breaks is important during work as 80 per cent of the time we are glued to screens. A tea or snack break refreshes your mind. You see new faces, socialise and talk about something other than work even if it is just for 15 minutes."
Asserting the importance of mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kakkar said that many people who consult her are young and living alone, away from their families. With the 'work from home' system in place they hardly meet people or have anybody to vent about office problems. "And this can be a problem."
24-year-old Nandini Mishra, a content writer for a Delhi based start-up who lives alone in a 1bhk and has had no human interaction since March, except with the delivery boys, agrees that she sorely misses the experience.
"I miss having hot-piping tea in the office with my colleagues. Whenever I had a writer’s block or was running out of ideas, I used to go buy myself a cup. The hustle and bustle made me feel alive," she says.
The tea shop was where people like her went if they reached office early - to clear their minds, to make a personal call or more importantly, to know a colleague a little more than when they were within the four walls of the office.
All this now will have to wait...
