A publication design to document Chai wallahs of Ahmedabad
My roles: Research, content, visualization,photography, illustration, book design.Mentor: Tarun Deep Girdher
Chai is a lot more than just a welcome drink and it is one of the common aspects of Indian culture found allover the India. Ek pyala of chai or a cup of tea is our gesture of friendship that transcends language. Following the teaching from Hindu scripture“atithi devo bhava” we welcome our guests and treat them as the divine. Customarily this means you are received with great enthusiasm, like a dear friend, given the most comfortable seat in the house and served a fresh cup of chai! It is a humble offering and an invitation to be part of the family. It melted our hearts over and over to experience this profound level of hospitality as we traveled throughout the subcontinent.
It has different meanings indifferent times. In breaks of strict working hours of office life and heavy lectures in college its refreshing, when there is nothing to do, its time pass,when there is nothing to say or a lot to say it’s a reason to come together or just gather, Chai time with friends is about sharing and discussing, Chai time with parents can be about asking for something, Chai time with grandma is about her 87 cups of life. It’s different for a student, for a traveler, for a policeman, for a driver etc. It could mean anything for anybody. Indian advertising has always tried to advertise different brands of tea always with its effect … emotion and relationships.
But more than that I think it is the recipe of making tea no matter what’s the brand, which makes tea delicious, and this is only reason that tea I had at different tea stall tastes differently from each other.
So, There is another story of behind the scenes, which I came across. It’s about those tea makers providing tea at every nook of Ahmedabad, behind the walls of institutes,hospitals, gardens and malls and aside the roads. Refreshing Ahmedabad from years to years. This is more than their profession of making living. It is the tradition they have been passing down from generation to generation.
MADE IN LADAKH 
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