Thursday, March 17, 2011

“Irani Chai” is a Cup of Life! for Lakhs of people! in Hyderabad.


Irani Chai (Irani Tea) is very popular in the Twin Cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Several Lakhs of cups of Irani Chai are sold every day, starting from early morning till late at night. Though I do not go for Irani Chai, I am a big witness to the demand and popularity of this beverage. I stay very close to Paradise Multi-Cuisine Restaurant Complex in Secunderabad; it has two Irani Chai outlets in the building. One outlet is along Prenderghast Road, this is over 60 years old, it opens by 5:00 AM and closes well past midnight. The other adjoining outlet which is about two decades old is along Sarojini Devi Road; it opens at 6:00 AM and closes by midnight. Right from the time the outlets open; till the time of closing, there is a mad rush for Irani Chai. And so is the rush at every Café selling Irani Chai in the Twin Cities. Though all Cafés are popular in their respective areas, some of them like Paradise, Garden Restaurant, Alpha Hotel, Blue Sea, Blue Bird, Shadab, Bahaar, Alhamdulillah, Adarsh, Saarvi and many more such hotels are well known throughout the Twin Cities.

At the top of this article is a video, shot at Garden Restaurant, Secunderabad, where around ten thousand cups of Irani Chai are sold every day. The history of Irani Chai and the process of making the Chai are explained in this video.

I think Irani Chai is an addiction among the regulars to the Irani Cafés. They love it and have several cups every day, treating every cup as a precious potion, because it enriches their physical and mental condition.

I like home-brewed Tea, Lemon Tea in the morning, soon after returning from my morning walk, and Tea with milk sometime after breakfast and again in the evening. I too love Tea, and I agree with what William E. Gladstone said in 1865! …..

If you are cold, tea will warm you;

If you are too heated, it will cool you;

If you are depressed, it will cheer you;

If you are excited, it will calm you.







2 comments:

  1. Hi Sir,
    Can you tell me some Cafe name, where can I get good and traditional Irani-Chai in Hyderabad.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Mr. Lavnesh,
      Thank you for evincing interest in my article.
      After my morning walk at Parade Grounds in Secunderabad, I sometimes have Irani Chai at one of these outlets: Paradise Cafe at Paradise Junction, Garden Cafe / Restaurant at Clock Tower, Alpha Hotel or Blue Sea Hotel close to Secunderabad Station. These are very popular Irani Chai outlets in Secunderabad selling thousands of cups of Chai everyday and most of the customers are regulars, virtually addicts! The taste of Chai is slightly different at each of these outlets but refreshing.
      However I must admit that I am not a great admirer of Chai at these places for the simple reason that it tastes a bit too sweet.
      You may try any of these outlets in Secunderabad. Paradise Cafe may be a better option for the simple reason that it has got a slightly larger parking area.

      Delete

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