In this world, there are busy roads and not so busy roads. People jostle to move past or move ahead. Each of them walks these roads in his own faulty, perfect, hesitant, cocksure gait. But each one takes a step in a direction – some with the urgency of getting away from, some with the earnestness of getting closer to.
Every road is a maelstromific bubble. Every person who walks it, walks it with little spurts of crackle. No matter how small or desolate a path, it is someone’s highway to somewhere. And on these roads, there are stalls that stand vanguards to the ultimate emblem of the free spirit – an open road.
These stalls are frequented by an ilk that hasn’t gone soft. Their hearts are still simple, their minds are still unfettered. There’s rawness in their bustle. There’s quickness in their transaction.
These stalls are no place for the mind to get plush or lofty.
When the sun beats down on these stalls, people with unfinished business stop here. They have a grit in their eyes that you would miss in a chic coffee shop anywhere. These eyes could belong to a laborer who’s thinking of being the Marco Polo of his village or the sales guy who’ll shed his corporate shackles today or the woman who’s listening to the first applause of her play. These people are different from those with smooth, processed desires who sit in cool, mild café’s. Their dreams are unpolished still – like the stalls they frequent.
From these stalls comes a beverage that infuses this doggedness. It’s sweet and scalding – like the careless tomorrows that crackle in the maelstromic bubble. Again, it’s not for the content or the laggards. It’s for those who sear and bear and grimace yet blink at the sun without shades. It’s for those commoners who claim the open road without sunscreen. It’s the liquid brew of the Ceasar’s promise and the Excalibur spirit.
The cutting chai is not everyone’s cup of tea.
12 comments:
Just as the local trains and buses are not everyone's trip
Nice !
There used to be omlette pav made all fresh n hot at the stalls near my old office building. I had also immensely enjoyed the ragada pattis, masala chai, masala dosas and Dabeli at other stalls there. Here there arent many such stalls except for sukha bhel types. I miss that old place now :(.
oh no blythe! i am so missing the thelas now
:(
Truly, nothing like the mid-morning cuppa at the thela, with the first sutta of the day (but of course you hate tobacco, so perhaps vada pav). :-)
These stalls are no place for the mind to get plush or lofty.
Very true....yup, its been a long time I paused and had those road side cutting chai...
Greetz!!
Cutting chai and garma-garam vada-pav. Oh, the days!
i hope starbucks here adds ka-ching chai and madras kaafi coffee to their menu.
Yep.. The lot of the common man, roadside cutting cahi, omelet or vada pav or some quick chinese. The latter often coming from a cart run by someone who only nominally looks Chinese if at all.
Those were the days when I could do that withour worrying about the water and food.
Now if I visit and try this, my stomach can't handle it anymore.
A creature of the west now, I have to say I am a wuss when it comes to thela food :)
But seriously the cleaner water and food here over the years just sensitizes your system differently.
And I write something about Madras Kaapi on my blog!!
I would die to become one on your road for that one from the stall.
argh...i miss the dabeli guys...
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