"CHAI IS THE THREAD THAT WEAVES STORIES TOGETHER"

The Book Of Chai by MIRA MANEK is truly an ode to the ritual of tea, but also goes way beyond.

- Primrose Monteiro-D'Souza

Chai has always been a part of Mira Manek's life. The London-based author and entrepreneur's journey is a series of reminiscences. Memories of drinking ukaro chai as a child in London, travelling with cups of tea, it seems, from one chaiwala to the next through India, being buoyed by chai through lonely days in university, making it her "happy place" when travelling and living abroad in Dubai and Uganda. After her marriage ended and she came back to London, Mira fell into a food and wellness career almost by chance. By popular demand, she began making a chai spice mix - and her business Chai By Mira came about. In short order, she launched her café Chai By Mira in a central London yoga studio - serving everything from Rose Chai and Chai Latte as well as wholesome Ayurvedic food (one of Mira's previous books is Prajna: Ayurvedic Rituals For Happiness).

It is truly as if Mira took the personal - the comfort she received from her own ritual of brewing tea with spices - and made it social in the form of the café and then went entrepreneurial. Her Chai By Mira brand goes to cafés, hotels and restaurants in the UK, and is available worldwide. She finally translated it into her third book, The Book Of Chai: History, Stories And Recipes (Hachette India).