Chai is something that I grew up with and didn’t really consider a “thing.” It feels to me like I imagine ice in water feels like to Americans.
My naani wakes up every morning, and the first thing she does is make chai for herself and whoever else is currently in her household. She has a very specific way of making it. I have witnessed it a couple of times when I’ve stayed at her house, but very often, I am still fast asleep as she goes through the ritual. If I put my mind to it, I could probably detail it for you and give you a recipe. But how the ritual truly exists in my mind is much more ethereal, like a secret ceremony conducted by elusive, crafty witches.
It is the smell of the tea, its specific earthy red quality, the mixing of water and milk in just the right proportion, the arm sweeping over the pot to put on the lid, the other arm taking hold of the karchi, my grandmother, my mother, my aunts repeating this process. Everything is a little softer, it is morning time, pastel nightgowns and housecoats.
I went back to Delhi in March 2023 to work on my thesis. The goal was to gather data and stories and share them with communities of water users. The time there took many twists and turns, as these things inevitably do, much like the rivers. As the current shifted, I had a steadfast support–my mother. She offered knowledge, snacks, and networks of group chats. And then, an aunt of mine came to visit, and my mum, her, and I all stood in the kitchen making chai.
Very organically, this moment of conversation emerged, of sharing information and of true community. In the days that followed, it poured over to a series of teas about water, where we gathered to connect with one another and our water sources over a cup of chai.
The central goal of this project is to build connections between water users and the natural sources that supply their water. The medium used to build this connection is a Chai party. Passed down through the generations, the practice of gathering around tea works as the perfect space for the sharing of information, anecdotes, and practical tips. In the spring of 2023, I held four of these Chais, sharing the information about the water locations in Delhi I had visited with women over conversation and tea. From each iteration, I learnt a little bit about how to tweak the project – condense the information, have more visuals, allow more pauses for questions – so each round was slightly updated.
Have a seat, settle in, and pour the tea
Each Chai started with a welcoming, an invitation to come sit and drink tea together. I introduced myself and my project, and explained that I had been visiting these locations around Delhi. I shared what I had been learning through my explorations of the city. I asked permission to take photographs and made clear that we could stop the conversation at any point. I invited the tea drinkers with me to interrupt, exclaim, disagree, and share their own experiences.
Initially, I allotted a lot less time for this than was required. A couple of times, this portion of the Chai went off topic a bit, but I found it helpful to embrace that as a natural component of a true Chai that nurtures familiarity and sets up easier future communication.
Chit-chat and sharing about three water sources around Delhi
The chit-chat started after we all settled in, and lightly cooled chai was ready to sip on. First, we discussed an overview of Delhi’s water supply and the three locations highlighted in this project: Hauz Khas, the Yamuna, and Okhla. I had printed photographs on glossy 4x6 inch paper which served as the main prop, and the rest of this section flowed through verbal discussion.
The guests at the Chai did not hesitate to interrupt or ask questions, particularly when I strayed too far into jargon about climate consequences. From the first Chai, I learnt not to go too deep into discussion of the negative futures that our natural resources are headed towards, because it tended to bring up feelings of hopelessness and doom. Instead, I chose to keep highlighting the beauty, history, people, and abundance connected to our water systems.
These conversations were truly dialogues, not just me reciting a monologue. The guests at the Chai were equally involved, sharing non-verbal cues and sounds of interest, as well as sharing their own stories back with me. For example, one of the people I spoke with told me about her experience living in a different drought-prone region of the country. She talked about how they had to dig deeper and deeper with their bore wells and tube wells to access water over the years. She knew so much more about her water when she was accessing it on a daily basis directly from the source, compared to the disconnect of the city’s taps.
While the dialogue allowed for richer conversation, we were not always able to cover all the research I had done about the three locations. Once again, I chose to embrace that as part of the Chai. At the time, this website was not complete, but it is now available as a point of reference for the things we did talk about and as a way to read about any areas we might not have covered in our in-person time together.
A gift for you to take away
I wanted to close with a gift. By this point in the Chai, we would have finished drinking our tea and would be snacking on the last of the namkeen or a laddoo. Talk turned towards the future and next steps, and I shared the stickers, checklist, and pamphlet with them as a parting gift. We talked about water conservation practices that made sense for an individual’s day-to-day life. It was important for me to keep this section as easy-going as possible–I did not want to leave anybody with negative associations of guilt or hopelessness. Instead, I wanted to share the sense of wonder for our incredible natural systems and a hope for what we can do differently.
What I have here is the most updated version of the materials needed to host your own Chai and learn about Delhi’s water. The three pages in the Sources section are for you to engage with and discuss at the Chai.
Think of this as a thermos and a tiffin for your chai. You can take whatever you need or is useful to you, and leave what isn’t. The materials here are meant to facilitate conversations for an easier flow and to give you a little taupha that you can keep with you long after the Chai is over.
Though this is the most recent version, it is open to evolution so any comments or feedback you have are most welcome. You can always put in suggestions, including requests for a laddoo, by contacting me here.