Tea generations ....

There is something comforting, about pouring yourself  a decent cup of brewed tea in a verandah, just coming to terms with the arriving sunrays on a reflecting glass table. 

And unlike dainty bone china matching sets  with a dainty tinkle, this tea is all about brewing in an old silver/pewter teapot handed down from your folks,  a sugar pot that bears an inscribed date of significance etched on the steel, and a huge tough  sensible tea cup, the likes of which a kid might use to have his cornflakes  in a hurry. 

My friend Sangeeta Khanna obviously enjoys her tea like this on these cold mornings in new Delhi, as she enjoys her garden from the window .....


(photo by Sangeeta Khanna )

The chubby ceramic
young one,
freshly awake
glinting in the
early morning Sun.

You need
to be made of steel,
as a parent
dispensing sweetness in dollops,
as you straddle two generations,

One,
indulgently disseminating
warm spiced flowing love
from its warm silver heart,
to the modern grandkid
who is
thrilled to bits
but all ears,
as it asks for
that one extra spoonful
of sugar ,
from its Ma.

Good Morning !

Designer Teas.....

Blogger friend Braja posting this as part of the Thursday Challenge series (subject : blue). A platform tea stall at a wayside railway station Krish(na)nagar, in West Bengal, or should I now say Poschim Bonga....

As she says :

"Beyond rustic simplicity...the stove top smeared with cow-dung for purity; a hole in the top holding hot coals; a pot that you'd only find in an antique store in the western countries; the smell of freshly brewed chai, served in tiny clay cups, complete with creamy milk and the perfect amount of sugar. Cost, 1 rupee. Experience, priceless..."

(photograph by Braja Sorenson)
....and sitting
on your haunches,
crinkled eyes,
a bit of
blowing
into the tea
spraying
into your moustache;
the ginger
invigorates,
as you have
your daily
worldless conversation,
with
a
lifelong friend,
who helps you row
your boat across,
day after day......

Life of Tea

My blogger friend Sangeeta, is the author of several wonderful blogs, having to do with sensilble organic cooking, growing your own stuff, gardening , ayurveda and so on. Check out her various blogs:

healthfood desivideshi
homealone
ayurveda on my plate
banaras ka khana

She posted this visual , and I just remembered another book I have read, by the same author she appears to be reading......Many Lives, Many Masters, by Brian Weiss.

It occurred to me that the tea too, could claim several lives and several masters ....:-)

(photo by Sangeeta Khanna)
Many lives,many masters,

Verdant green
on the bushes
on the hill,
a trip
between fingers
of a lovely
basket maiden.

A bit
of a dry life later,
wrapped
in a sophisticated
soft habit,
resting in a box.

Now a chequered life,
on a table
by a breakfast nook,
and
she loses herself
in a glass
of great warmth,
dissolving
all her doubts.

She has finally
met her friend,
Sangeeta,
and between them,
it's
a great cuppa......