The ‘chai-chemistry’

For many, tea represents brain autocorrect (like smartphone keypad autocorrect), a conversation starter and a reason to feel happy after a tough working day. I am no different.

Tea happened to be one of the first elements that connected me to my workplace, the mini secretariat in the district of Ambala, Haryana. As a Chief Minister’s Good Governance Associate (CMGGA), I have the privilege of calling on and interacting with a number of government officials in the state of Haryana. Through these interactions, I have come to observe that tea takes on new connotation altogether. Tea was no longer a set of leisure sips for me; it suddenly become as precious as time! Saying NO to tea, in a meeting with a government official, I realized resulted in a negative externality of time loss. As a CMGGA, the best way to buy sometime with an officer is saying yes to ‘chai’. Like in the famous Bollywood movie Sholay, where Basanti’s dance was directly proportional to the length of protagonist’s life; tea in the government is a delicate dance of time.

Other interesting chemistry of Chai, I have observed, is the kind of tea that is served. Tea typically ranges from green tea to regular Indian Chai, accompanied by cookies or biscuits. While green tea symbolises the decision makers, regular chai is typically served to the participants of the meeting/gathering. If biscuits are in the offing, it adds a dimension of authority. Green tea with digestive biscuits signifies authority and chai with Marie/Goodday biscuits are for the masses.

Another tangible thing to notice with respect to tea cultures, is cups! Being served in cup with a saucer signifies respect determined by rank. The higher the rank, the more sophisticated the design of the cup; and I’ve observed that only department heads have the luxury of a coaster.

Coffee is another category which is yet to be explored.