For that old cup of coffee

Rakesh Kochhar

AFTER an acquaintance informed me that the iconic Indian Coffee House in Sector 17, Chandigarh, had been recently air-conditioned, I could not hold myself back and the next day itself, went for the cup of coffee that only this place serves.

Though there was no whiff of aroma of roasted coffee or the condiment-laden sambar in the corridor outside, the coffee tasted just the same as it has for the past close to six decades that I have had the privilege of savouring it.

While sipping my coffee, I could feel and see the change. There was no sweltering humidity, nor any clamour to get a table near a cooler; the waiters looked relaxed and happy to serve and the patrons looked in no hurry and seemed to actually relish the fare. There were a handful of old-timers, like me, reliving the past, apart from the regulars. The furniture has changed too, though the walls are yet to get a new coat of paint. Mahatma Gandhi’s photograph still hangs behind the cashier’s desk. On enquiring, I was told that the other photograph — of film actress Ragini of yore endorsing the trademark coffee — has been taken off the opposite wall, but temporarily, till the wall gets painted afresh.

I went back in time, recollecting my first visit to the newly opened Coffee House in Sector 22 in the mid-1960s. As our family left the table after relishing sambar-dosas, I went back and picked up the 25-paisa coin that I thought had been left by mistake by my father, only to be admonished that it was for the waiter. I also remember vividly that as a 12-year-old, when I did not find lunch at home palatable, I demanded I be given half a rupee to go and treat myself to a dosa.

Later, as a group of five school friends, we would celebrate our birthdays at the Coffee House which had by then shifted from Sector 22 to the newly developed Sector 17. The grand treat would include dosa, idli and coffee with cream. And for many years, the bill would run up to less than Rs 10. It was also the only place we could get a hot dog, a burger or French fries before McDonald’s or its Indian versions invaded the city. For the connoisseur, the best vegetable pakoras in town are still served here.

Now that it has been air-conditioned, I would prefer to have a cup of coffee there rather than at one of the ubiquitous cafés that have sprouted all over the city.

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