Chaikhana chronicles

On the Walled City's treasured tea houses

- Mayank Austen Soofi

The long-time Salim chaikhana shut some months ago, condemning the Walled City to one less chaikhana. This is more discouraging than it sounds; for a chaikhana is a rare thing. It is profoundly different from the ubiquitous chai stall, which is simply a pavement kiosk for citizens to have their chai on the go. The chaikhana, or tea house, is a more formal place with furnished interiors dedicated to serving chai, snacks being incidental. Citizens exploit the chaikhana to rest, to rejuvenate, to press the pause button on the fast-moving life. Some chaikhana extroverts do like to share qissa-kahani with fellows at adjacent tables, many others prefer to sit alone with their mobile phone, sometimes soliloquizing. Over the coming months, this column shall chronicle all of the remaining te