Charcha Chandigarh ki chai ki

Mumbai has its cutting chai, Kolkata swears by its chai addas, Hyderabad flaunts its Irani chai with poetic pride, and Guwahati pours out Assam’s finest like liquid gold. The chai kiosks in Varanasi, Jaipur and Ahmedabad are practically pilgrimage spots. But amidst all these much-hyped spots, quietly, without fuss, Chandigarh brews its own chai revolution — one inconspicuous “glassy” at a time.

No hashtags, no influencers, no artisanal tea leaves flown in from distant Himalayan slopes. Just good old chai thelas tucked away into nukkads in markets, behind banks, and beside bus stops. These humble stalls serve piping hot cups to shopkeepers, bankers, businesspeople, and the occasional existential wanderer escaping life’s PowerPoint presentations. The service? Sterling. The vibe? Unapologetically desi. The chai? Strong, sweet, and delicious.

Accompanying this golden brew are mathis, locally made biskuts, and flaky ‘fans’—stored in glass jars that customers casually open and help themselves to. It’ll all get accounted for in the end, somehow. A couple of indie dogs usually lounge nearby, waiting for crumbs or a pat from a dog lover.

Each chaiwala has his own secret recipe, usually involving generous amount of crushed adrak and a pinch of magic. But my undisputed hero? The chai wala bhaiya at Sukhna Lake. He serves tea to everyone: policemen, walkers, young lovers, daily wagers and boisterous groups. He never forgets an order, no matter how besieged he is. And somehow, his customers — normally impatient in traffic, and at public places — wait calmly, as if the tea were a spiritual offering.

So while other cities may have their chai legacies, Chandigarh’s chai culture is less about spectacle and more about soul. It’s not trying to impress you. It’s just trying to make your day a little warmer, one “glassy” at a time.

Aradhika Sharma, Chandigarh