Does your tea smell like sex?

We aren't all tea drinkers in this world. Some say, "chai piyo mast jiyo", while for some it just ain't the taste that gets them going! Vir Sanghvi thinks that the mikaibari darjeeling tea smells like sex but I think that ain't where it stops! If your tea liquor resembles the sight of a sun kissed early morning sky then it sure has got all the thrills of sex! Even the mere thought of dry tea leaves simmering under hot water, arouses all our senses. The tantalizing aroma of a bubbling hot pot of tea is absolutely irresistible. The British gave it to us but i think we do the tea better than anyone. In India, tea can be found in its various avatars. While some like the sugary sweet, milky dhaba tea some would just reject it as sheer blasphemy! But I think each has its unique characteristics, and ruling it out simply on such grounds is unfair. One must be open to the various interpretations of the tea! After all we can't blatantly ignore the famous yak milk tea of Ladakh! Sources tell me that its salty and pretty disgusting to taste. Well i guess that's where the sex turns into a nightmare! But I am sure its got its fans too.

I think of tea as a must have for rainy days, along with hot boiled corn glazed with melted butter. I think of tea, as an indispensable companion of every Sunday evening get-together. I think of tea with a hint of fresh lemon grass when I am blue. I think of tea along with fragrant lime, mint leaves and crushed ice when its hot. I think of tea as the best part of every heated discussion. I think of tea to go along with warm cakes. I think of tea and roots of ginger as therapeutic on damp winter days. I think of tea, strongly made with generous quantities of milk and sugar when i am stressed. I think of tea in a large ceramic mug, warming my hands when i am contemplating. I think of tea accompanying a warm glowing cigarette pressed between my fingers. Its almost orgiastic! I think of tea as the scintillating mistress of the moon lit evenings. I think of tea, the very first thing every morning :)

One morning

Distances. It is only when the psychological one gets wider than the physical, that they bite! But then they say we are all just six degrees apart. She had just sat on that bench to catch her breath when she found herself sitting next to a tall gentleman, dark glasses, stern face. One could call him good looking if they please but she had seen better. It was a call from God she felt. After all she wasn't meant to die today. She slided herself towards him, and pretended to read out the newspaper lying next to him, while a couple of agitated ladies came by, glanced at them and moved on. Phew! There was a sigh of relief. She pulled it off after all, and all thanks to the lovely gentleman who played along, without budging even a limb in protest.
"Thanks sir!" She said in a haste and got up to leave when he grabbed her wrist and said, "Not so fast lady!"
Oh ow! That smelled trouble. He knew it all along, he was one of them. Yikes! She was so busted, she thought.
"Look sir, it is not my fault, i have not done anythin and you cannot touch me like that!" In one short breath she popped out the entire sentence. When she did that, she was always nervous. And when she got nervous, she always wrinkled her nose. And when her nose wrinkled, her eyes automatically shut themselves. But anyway, this guy won't let go.
"Hmmm thats interesting, i knew there was something wrong here. Otherwiseee...why would anyone suddenly read out the newspaper to me, when its not even mine?"
"Dumb logic. I like to read out aloud, especially newpapers. You've gotta problem with that, deal with it yourself." She was just about to shrug off when the brigade of agitated ladies returned on their course. She rushed back to the newspaper and the man.
"Please, just for a little while, stay shut." And she began her newspaper recital yet again.
Thankfully, soon enough the ladies trickled back into their homes like little rats and the newspaper recital, (by God's grace) was called off.
"So what is this all about?" asked the helpful bench man.
"Nothing, nothing really. Nothing that concerns you." She sounded stern. She tried hard to.
"Sure, all i gotta do is yell and you'll need to recourse your concern lady!"
Yup she was in trouble either way, so she'd rather tell her tale than not live another day to narrate it again.
"ummmm.....well." she began.
"Yeah i got that part."
"Hey! Would you first stop oggling at the sun. And its not even all that sunny as yet, I dunno why people think shades make them look cool."
"Unrelated," he sang out, "the story lady??"
She could kill herself. Who was she stuck with. Lord, why do you do this to me...she wondered!

"Okay, ummm...yeah i know u got that part. Ummm...yeah so as u can see I am obviously a...a...a......"
"Girl?"
"Yeah, that too but....ummm...nevermind that. So i was in that house. That one down the road...the red one."
"Aha...."
"And....a...a..i was sorta not supposed to be there. And this is not my first time there. Somehow his wife sorta found out about it and she kept a tab on him. And she was supposed to be outta town but i dunno from where she suddenly popped up, with all these women and baseball bats and saucepans, that i just opened my eyes and ran for my life." she paused, "yeahhh...thats pretty much it!
"Aha...so wife caught u in bed with husband and you ran for your life? Shouldn't the guy do that instead???"
"Yeahhhh......you could say that, but you know they could obviously call the cops. And that would just be disasterous for me. God knows for how long i'd have to be off job then."
"The worlds getting more and more bizzare each day!"
"Gosh, how old are you, hundred and eight?? Anyway, i am off now." She walked a few steps and paused. "But what is bizzare you know, is that you talking to me the entire time without looking at me, especially when you can see what...what i am. I don't know whether its a good thing or bad, coz it definitely says that you've got some kinda prob!"
"Firstly, I am not hundred and eight, just thirty two, three and two. And these glasses, they have nothing but hollow years behind them. I see you, I surely do. But all i know is, that to me, if you ask me, you look nice."
She felt her feet had suddenly frozen. But she decided to fade away. And before she did that, she turned around and said, "Nice. Thats a beautiful sound for these ears!"

The nicest sounds of the past....

The sounds of the past have an archaic shimmer in them. Its the shimmer of silver deposits that time besets upon it. And just like antiques their value only grows with every strike of the clock.While teaching Yeats, my proffessor once said that the best time for each of us to sit back and contemplate is at the time of the sunset. This is more or less a natural process and very often we unknowingly find ourselves doing the same. And it is during these dimly lit evenings, when the pink sky yawns over my head that I like to savour the best things in life. They could be thoughts, they could be memories, or probably just a simple cup of tea. But what i love most is humming those tunes of yester years that still glow in all our hearts with a fresh brightness. I am talking about the classics of Hindi Cinema, the undying sounds of the past.

I think my favourite songs as a child was waqt ne kiya. Of course its only later that i realised its deeper engravings. Another of my favourites would be aayega aane wala from mahal. This song is hair-raising. The whole enigmatic feel to it is beautiful, though its more because of the visuals than the songs.
Kishore Kumar and Madhubala's Haal kaisa hai janab ka, is one adorable song. Along with this, there is Acha ji main hari chalo. Similar themes, classic happy songs. The song I love love love is bhanwra bada nada aye. Its got a perky feel to it which is adorable. And the sexiest song ever is na jao sainya. I think i am yet to come across a better seductive song. Its simply beautiful. Chalte Chalte yunhi koi mil gaya tha, from Pakiza is again very close to me. It has a reverberative quality which is unusually good. Ek ladki bheegi bhagi si is a great playful song and kishore kumar makes it all the more wonderful. And that one song which is always fun to sing no matter what is...sar jo tera chakraye...ya dil dooba jaye...hehe! It is also very difficult to not mention songs like hum hai rahin pyar ke hum se kuch na boliye.....and hai apna dil to aawara naa jane kis pe aayega!
Moving on, theres one song that i really like.....tumne mujhe dekha..from teesri manzil. I have no idea why i like this song but i just do. With this i've got to mention oh mere sona re and aa ja piya tohe pyar du, pyar deewana hota hai, aayiye mehrban, aa janeja. Aayiye mehrban is another of those great tantalizing songs. My favourite song as a child.....raat akeli hai....a very cute song indeed. It has a lot of life in it. It has a feel of hot bubbling water, full of vigour! Bahon mein chale aao and roop tera mastana are almost everyone's all time favourites. These are irreplacale romantic songs! My list is going to be a long one i feel. There are so many more to go. Jhumka gira re, mera naam chin chin chu, hawa ke saath saath are some of the really fun songs! Hawa ke saath saath especially is a very fun song to sing along with someone who enjoys the song just as much! And the best song to sing while blowing out smoke rings is main zindagi ka saath nibha ta chala gaya...har fikr ko dhue me udata chala gaya! The song definitely has the cool factor goin along with it. Singing it while smoking always makes u a wee bit cooler and gives you a good psychological boost!Coming to my most favourite romantic song ever....i've gotta mention pal pal dil ke pas. It is such a fragrant song. It has an effect very close to what a bag of freshly crushed lavender would have. It makes you fall in love with the song itself! A little later there were songs like ek main aur ek tu...which were to die for. Outta the more recent old songs theres neela aasma from silsila, katra katra from ijaazat, khali haath sham aayi hai....i think gulzar makes the last to stand out even more. Well i guess thats about it but i'd mention my best loved song now, its mera kuch saman. The song tells a story and i just love it. There are many more, and i'll make an account of them later. For now..these are a few of my favourite sounds!!!