Banaras: Learning Spaces
Behind the Chai, Mithai and Paan in Banaras
A slighted edited version appears in The Hindu.
Warm thanks to friends at each of these learning spaces and Eesha.
A lot has been said about Banarasi’s lanes being home to some of the finest chai, mithai and paan one can savour. Locals affirm that some of these older stalls and shops are, akin to the ghats, very much a part of Banaras' identity.
Over almost a decade that I have put in at Banaras I have visited and revisited some of these stalls and shops. Initially I was blown away by the regularly high quality of the chai, mithai, and paan that permeated my senses. Some of the tastes, textures and smells I experienced here were new for me as were the sensations they aroused in my body. Over a period of time I realised that at these spaces perfection is the norm. As I put in more time I observed, and engaged with, the people who ran these spaces; people behind the perfection. These people, centred beings, live in the moment (the proverbial then and there) and are fully immersed into what they are doing. A fast vanishing species, they are islands of calm amidst the chaos all around.
Neither are all stalls and shops in Banaras in this league nor have I covered all those that are. However let me take you to a few of these spaces - what they have to offer and the people who run them.
The Anand Tea Stall at Maidagin crossroads, one of the busiest and noisiest traffic junctions in town, is next. This stall is run by 3 brothers; each of them ever smiling and never with a hair out of place. Of the 3, it was Pankaj whom I befriended. They have a charcoal fired stove and use an electrical fan to control the flame. Using these they come up with remarkable consistency in the taste of chai. And, with just that right amount of butter and crispiness they make the regular buns taste special. They underscore what David Pye remarks in ‘The Nature and Art of Workmanship’, “quality does not lie in the material; rather it is brought out through workmanship”. In summers they sell fresh mango-juice during the daytime - chai then is reserved for early mornings and late evenings. Many a time we have had chai here post midnight while returning from music concerts! Prior to COVID the stall used to run round the clock (each of the brothers took turns); since then the regulations have them shut around midnight.
After chai we switch to mithai; there are a handful of shops but for now we will stick to the shop at Nichibagh run by 2 brothers - Madhuban Milk Sweets. Madhuban Milk Sweets does not boast of a large spread. The limited number of items are freshly made, in small batches, and are right up there in terms of quality. Mitha-parwal, Santra-burfi, Petha-paan, and Kheer-mohan are my favourites here. Then, of course, there is Malaiyo. A milk based sweet having a frothy texture, and a subtle taste, it is available only during the winter mornings. The number of eagerly waiting customers does not bother the brothers as they garnish the Malaiyo, with patience and concentration, to their satisfaction. They work in silence, with a mediative calm, one that John Galsworthy describes in ‘Quality’ as, “a church like ethos of quiet and decorum”. Their responses are as special as their mithai. When asked “Which sweet is special in your shop”, their usual response, with deadpan expression is, “each and every one of them”. Similarly, customers who bargain are asked, with folded hands, to proceed elsewhere. I have also come across customers whose grandfathers were regular visitors to the shop!
Finally to the paan. I cannot not mention our favourite - Jagdish Tambul Bhandar next to the Ravidas Gate. The father-son duo here work in synchrony and are a sight to behold with their clean shop, neat dresses, and above all graceful and refined mannerisms. I once pointed out to Jagdish Chaurasia (the father) that he was sitting in a different position from the one I usually saw him in. He was having tea then. He explained how he never ate or drank at the place that he made paan at. He respected the gaddi (seat), his workplace; it meant a lot to him! We would also go for paan when attending a week-long music festival in the vicinity; each evening he would ask us of the artists performing and share of the performances he had attended in the past. The paan we have here has neither tobacco nor sweeteners; it is the quality of ingredients and manner of preparations that made it special. His son had explained to us how they make katha (catechu) themselves at home. This ensured the quality of the katha and therefore the paan. He is hands-on acquiring skills, and knowledge, that no schools or colleges, journals or conferences, can teach!
I have realised over the years that these are not just chai, mithai and paan shops and stalls, but also learning spaces, temples of an another kind.
These images I clicked while sipping chai and chatting with Pankaj at Sarnath.
Comments
Post a Comment