My humble attempt to describe in words, my humble cup of tea!
Sitting at the coffee table reading my 7 am Newspaper, I hear the noises coming from the kitchen. In the morning hours, the scene at our home’s kitchen resembles the scene of Samudra Manthan done by the Gods and Asuras. The type of work my wife Anu undertakes in the kitchen every morning is no less than Samudra Manthan, especially since she has to make breakfast for two energetic kids and a foodaholic husband.
The sound of water simmering inside the kettle resembles the sound of the ocean. When churned vigorously by the Gods and Asuras, the ocean too must have made such sounds.
The simmering grows louder and louder with an occasional stirring sound while Anu puts in tea-leaves. The Gods and Asuras might have, in the same way, poured offerings in the ocean seeking Amrit (Nectar) from it.
Then I feel the smell of freshly brewed tea. I inhale deeply imbibing the flavor, waiting for the nectar to arrive.
Then suddenly everything calms down. Looks like Anu has taken the kettle off the burner. Looks like the Amrit has been found. Looks like Dhanwantari has finally emerged with a pitcher in his hand before the waiting Gods and Asuras.
Oh! The sound of pouring of tea into the cups! Like the sound of waterfall falling from a mountain, flowing down the rocky terrains!
The aroma of Darjeeling tea in the air, the clinging of cups and saucers, the stirring sound of metallic spoons, all these feel music to my ears.
Finally, Anu appears from kitchen with a tray in hand. Like Mohini carrying the pitcher filled with nectar for distributing among the Gods and Asuras!
On the tray are four sets of cups and saucers and a kettle. The rays of Sun coming through dining-room window bounce-off the shiny surfaces of cups and Carafe, making them look celestial. The white coloured saucers look like galaxies containing millions and millions of stars.
Anu pours tea into my cup. A stream of warm whitish smoke rises up from the hot surface of tea and spirals upwards. It moves up like a cyclone of moist air, and then swirls in one direction without any reason before vanishing into the thin air above.
The intoxicating aroma of fresh Darjeeling tea fills the air.
The semi-transparent walls of the cup allow me a good view of my tea from all sides. The tea has assumed the shape of the cup, slim at bottom and wide at top, looking like some contestant in the Miss World beauty pageant.
The currents of hot liquid beneath create ripples on the tea’ surface, just like the warm undercurrents create waves in the ocean.
My cup of tea appears like a complete universe to me. Its warmth resembles the Sun, the nourisher of every living being on earth. Its round shape represents the shape of all celestial bodies. It’s ceramic represents the earth (Prithvi), one of the five elements of the universe. The white coloured saucer with spiral design on it looks like a galaxy.
The round cup is poised gracefully on the white saucer. A few biscuits placed on the saucer surround the cup symmetrically. The arrangement reminds me of solar system, with the warm cup of tea centered like the Sun and the cookies like planets around it.
The ripples on the surface of the tea resembled oceanic waves. The tea’s brownish colour reminds me of the sandy deserts. The aroma emerging from it reminds me of the air in the woods, full of fragrance from plants and herbs.
It’s our everyday morning ritual that during our morning cup of tea, Anu and I sit together at the coffee table silently, without exchanging a word. We just keep looking out of the window towards the rising sun. It’s the time when we silently thank God for all the good things in our lives- for the morning Sun, for our kids, for the beautiful house, for each other, and for the warm cup of tea we hold in our hands.
I dunk my piece of biscuit into the hot steaming tea and put into my mouth. The biscuit melts away fast. I lift the cup off the saucer and slowly pull it towards me. Its warmth feels good in my hands. The soothing vapours emanating from the cup begin to touch my face. Bringing it closer to my lips I gradually tilt the cup to take my first sip.
My lips kiss the warm surface of tea. It feels like a sip of nectar. I allow the divine fluid to flow inside me. It enters my soul through my body.
Having finished my cup of nectar, now I am ready for my day, to fight the Asuras.
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