Issue #12 of the Chai Bhai newsletter. August 15th is approaching.
The Colonial Commodity That Became a National Symbol
When the Indian Tea Association began stationing chai wallahs at railway stations and factories in the early 1900s — a marketing push to create domestic demand for a surplus product being exported almost entirely to Britain — nobody predicted that within two generations, the beverage they were promoting would become inseparable from Indian national identity.
The British created the infrastructure of the Indian tea industry: the estates of Assam and Darjeeling, the railways that moved the leaf, the processing factories that converted it into a globally traded commodity. What they did not and could not control was what Indians did with it once it was theirs.
The Indian transformation of the British product was complete and decisive. The milk ratio reversed (Indian chai is more milk than water; British tea is more water than milk). The preparation method inverted (Indian chai brews tea and milk together; British tea keeps them separate). The spices arrived, unannounced and uninvited by the original designers, and they stayed permanently.
By 1947, chai was not a British import with Indian modifications. It was an Indian drink with a historical footnote.
The Chai Wallah as Nationalist Symbol
It is not accidental that India's current Prime Minister has spoken publicly and proudly about his childhood as a chai wallah. The narrative is deliberate — the chai wallah as emblem of the ordinary Indian, the democratic cup, the beverage that no hierarchy can claim exclusively.
Mahatma Gandhi, whose Swadeshi movement encouraged Indians to reject British goods and embrace domestic production, was himself a tea drinker — though his approach to chai was characteristically ascetic (weak, no sugar). The symbolism of drinking Indian-grown, Indian-processed, Indian-spiced chai was not lost on the Independence movement.
78 Years: What Has Changed, What Hasn't
Indian tea production has grown from approximately 277 million kg at Independence in 1947 to over 1.3 billion kg today. India is the second-largest tea producer in the world (behind China) and the largest consumer — over 80% of what India grows is consumed domestically.
The chai wallah is still there. The bhagona is still on the flame. The kulhad is still being made by potters in UP and Bihar. The price is still low enough that the rickshaw driver and the tech worker share the same cup.
What has changed is the international recognition of what India created. Masala chai — once considered a rustic, unsophisticated variation on "proper" tea by the British establishments that invented the industry — is now on the menu of every coffee chain in the world. It is served in the café of the British Parliament. It has a dedicated aisle in American grocery stores.
“They built the industry. We built the culture. The culture won.
Independence Day Chai: A Recipe for the Day
On 15th August, make the best version of a classic masala chai — not a novel variation, not a fusion recipe. The original.
Independence Day Masala Chai (serves 4):
- 500ml full-fat milk + 200ml water
- 3 heaped tsp Assam CTC
- 6 slices fresh ginger, bruised
- 6 green cardamom pods, cracked
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves
- 1/2 tsp black pepper (cracked)
- Jaggery to taste — at least 3 tsp
Bring water and all spices to a rolling boil. Simmer 5 full minutes. Add milk, return to a boil. Add tea, steep covered for 2 minutes. Strain into a vessel and pour high into cups for aeration. Drink outdoors if possible.
Jai Hind. And: chai piyo, zindagi jiyo.
— Chai Bhai