10/11/2025
☕ The Chai Story That Became a Love Letter to Friendship
“Beta chai bana lo,” “Begum please chai bana do...” I can’t relate. Tea was never central to my life before marriage, and my husband has never even tasted it. So, chai wasn’t my bane, nor my romantic muse.
Then came 2011, and a dinner party in the UK. A guest asked for tea. I flustered—I was terrible at making it! My friend stepped in. I offered my usual excuse: “No one in my house ever drinks tea.” They saw the kaamchor in me, but they were kind. 😂
For the next 13 years, I was never asked to make it. Instead, I heard: “Komal, thori si to peelo,” “Acha adha cup he!” Slowly, I became a “social tea drinker.”
Urdu literature ties chai to romance, but for me, it will always be associated with the beautiful memories I made with my friends. They fulfilled that “Chai ki mohabbat” through their presence. They were my vows, in sickness and in health.
Today, as the Baaran e Rehmat (rain) falls, it’s not my Piya ji I think of. It’s the beloved friends I left behind in the UK. So, I made myself a “cuppa” earl grey and orange,pistachio and cardamom cookies, .sweet recipe sitting here reminiscing.
These are the people whose presence brought back the Komal who was lost. Alhumdulillah for the sustenance that is amazing friendship. No matter the distance, your love, duas (prayers), and check-ins are everything. ❤️
