One of the good things about growing up at Mumbai is the getting to know the many different people who form this wonderful metropolis. There are people of different castes, creed, religion and status who make a wonderful melange of society to interact with.



One of my good friends was a certain very sweet and smart Miss Negi. Like most friendships forged at school, ours also started by exchanging pencils and rubbers. Both of us stayed in the same colony and soon we became really good friends. And when you become good friends, it is a compulsory rule that you spend more time at the friend's place than your own until your parent's ask for identification before you enter your house. (I am getting really good at lousy PJs).



Anyways, the point is how I got to taste ekdum mast Chai at Ms. Negi's place. Ms. Negi hails from the wonderful valleys of Kinnaur and looks Chinese enough to be called chow-mein. But afterall, her wonderful dil is Hindustani or rather Kinaur i. And so through her, I came to be acquainted with Kinnaur, its wonderful apples, dry-fruits, chicken with roti, moong chawal and the best of them all-yummy yum Kinnauri Chai.

I don't know if the tea is actually called Kinnauri tea but let's just keep it that way for now. Now Kinnauri tea is a very unusual tea. For one it is a very light ochre in colour unlike the muddy-brown and strong desi version. And on the other hand, it is also salty and has loads of butter in it. Butter in tea? Yeah, yeah.... The fat helps them to keep warm in the bitter cold winter weather in Kinnaur.

Now coming to Kinnaur, here is some information sourced from http://hpkinnaur.nic.in/:

Kinnaur surrounded by the Tibet to the east, in the northeast corner of Himachal Pradesh, about 235 kms from Shimla is a tremendously beautiful district having the three high mountains ranges i.e. Zanskar, Greater Himalayas and Dhauladhar, enclosing valleys of Sutlej, Spiti, Baspa and their tributaries. All the valleys are strikingly beautiful. The slopes are covered with thick wood, orchards, fields and picturesque hamlets. The much religious Shivlinga lies at the peak of Kinner Kailash mountain. The beautiful district was opened for the outsiders in 1989. The old Hindustan-Tibet road passes through the Kinnaur valley along the bank of river Sutlej and finally enters Tibet at Shipki La Pass. And it is not only the scenic beauty which appeals to the young and old alike but also the life styles of the people, their culture, heritage, customs and traditions.

The much honest people which have strong culture and beliefs generally follow the Buddhism and Hinduism believe that the Pandavas came and resided in the land while in the exile. In the ancient mythology the people of Kinnaur are known as Kinners, the halfway between men and gods. Thousands years old monasteries still exist in the area. Both the Buddhists and Hindus live in perfect harmony symbolising the traditional brotherhood and friendship of the people of both the faiths.

The apples, chilgoza and other dry fruits are grown here are world famous. The high terrain here give way to great adventures sports of all kinds. Beautiful trekking routes includes the 'Parikarma of Kinner Kailash'. Here is also the Beautiful Nako lake and three famous wild life sanctuaries.

Sounds like a bit of paradise. Coming back to the tea. There are special tea leaves that are used to make this tea and I assume they are simmered at a low temperature before straining them and adding milk, butter and salt. Served hot, it tastes like one of the most yummiest things to have in winter.

Chai at the Negi's used to be a lot of fun. Very cordial and knowledgeable people, they used to mingle with a lot of love. Stories of the valley, the customs and practices used to make very interesting conversation. And I used to remember one of her married cousins, who used to break into a song at any given opportunity. Sometimes she sang for her bellowed husband, who either fled out of the room on some pretext or flushed a beetroot red politely. We used to end up spilling most of the tea on the rug as the saucers and cups shook with the jolts of our laughter.

It's been a very long time since I went to Mumbai. And on the top of my itinery if I go there is, of course, Chai with the Negis.