The power of a hug in a mug

EVERY cup of tea is a story of comfort, joy and friendship. At times, it is about a journey through a railway station, an airport or a stop at the roadside chaiwala. It is about a place, be it the countryside, city or your own home.

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Every story is created by the person who makes that cup of tea. One such person is the Angrezi Chai Wali, Jan, short for Janet, on the Ilkley Moor of Yorkshire, England. Blonde hair, clear skin, she blended perfectly well with the Yorkshire scenery.

To describe the beauty of this place would be to open one’s arms as wide as possible and hug as much of the Yorkshire countryside as one can and take it away in one’s heart forever. Yorkshire has a folk song, also considered its local anthem, which goes like this: ‘On Ilka Moor Baht’at ….Tha’s bahn’ to catch thy deeath of cowd’ (On Ilkley Moors without a hat…you are bound to catch your death of cold).

Recently widowed, I was full of sorrow wherever I went, as I was from Chandigarh to Ilkley.

With Covid restrictions, after the stipulated time and tests, I was finally allowed to go out.

Every day without fail, my brother would make sure either he walked or drove me through the Yorkshire countryside. Soon enough, I had started to appreciate and feel grateful for the gift of those surroundings. It was the Angrezi Chai Wali that had a lot to do with that change.

After every riverside walk, Jan would hand over a steaming mug of tea. It was the best masala chai.

I started greeting her with ‘Namaste’. Once I asked, ‘Aap kaisi hain?’

‘Main theek hun, dhanyavad,’ she said. Her Hindi was broken, but it was an appreciation of my culture.

I had noticed her in town appreciating street performers, always with a few coins. At a fudge store, if Janet had tried any samples, she would always buy some as courtesy. A bus journey always ended with a thank you for the driver.

Whilst this was all a part of the British culture of that area, it was for her masala chai that Jan had become locally famous. So I finally asked her, ‘Why does your chai taste so good?’

Three things Janet said: ‘Brew it a little longer, add a pinch of black pepper, and lots and lots of love!’

Often times, Janet filled a thermos and took it for her National Health Service colleagues. They had branded her tea, ‘A hug in a mug’ and ‘Love in a mug.’

Indeed, Jan’s tea was a hug. It was love and appreciation. For me, it was an inspiration because I was soon to learn that it was Jan, whom my brother married, who had asked him to walk me through the countryside. It will give me inspiration to write, she had said. I did not catch my death of cold, but was saved by ‘A hug in a mug.’