The 'tea'-sing history of India's love story with chai
From celebrating togetherness to experiencing solitude, chai in India is not just any beverage but a strong emotion that makes everything better. The country has shared an undying love with this hot beverage for centuries, which is only increasing and growing stronger with time. Today, let us take a 'sip' back in time and trace the origins of India's obsession with chai.
Legends about the folklore surrounding chai
When it comes to knowing how chai was invented, there are several popular theories. One of them is that a reigning king in one of India's ancient royal courts created chai as a healing Ayurvedic beverage. Another legend says that the Emperor of China, about 5,000 years ago, tasted a boiled concoction of water and tea leaves. He made it a Chinese staple.
In 1935, Britishers established tea plantations in Assam
To cut China's monopoly of tea supply and reverse it to Great Britain, Britishers set up tea plantations in India's Assam in 1935. However, since Britain was going through the ill effects of the Great Depression of 1929, the demand for tea dropped significantly. They needed a suitable market to sell the excess and hence, marketing campaigns were designed to introduce it to India.
Advertisements like 'Fight fatigue with Indian tea' were displayed
Following this, the Indian Tea Market Expansion Board (ITMEB) was convinced to make Indians sample tea. The folks hired contractors and trained them to make tea using the British method. They also put up posters and ads saying "Fight fatigue with Indian tea" and propagated its health benefits. Tea stalls were set up at railway stations to boost sales.
Free chai packets became a huge success
To cultivate the habit of drinking tea in every Indian household, the promoters gave free packets of tea in small batches to the citizens. The campaign became a huge hit as Indians finally made the beverage a part of their daily lifestyle. Later, the country Indianized tea with their own spices and culinary styles, irking the Britishers. That's how modern-day chai was invented.
Chai got rooted in Indian lives
Each state and community in India started to adopt and adapt chai to its tastes, ingredients, and culinary styles. Mumbai came up with cutting chai, Hyderabad made Irani chai, Gujarat amassed attention for its masala chai, and Kashmir launched its pink chai.
Today, India is the 2nd largest producer of tea
With chai becoming a daily dose of goodness in all households, India is the second-largest producer of tea in the world, after China. Per Outlook India, the country exported "134.14 million kg of tea in the April-October period of the ongoing 2022-23 fiscal." Statista reports that 46,000 metric tons of tea were exported from India to the UAE and 45,000 metric tons to Russia.
