We have always had to fight for things; nothing ever came easy to us - not independence, not economic success, not even our daily grind. For a nation with an indefatigable fighting spirit, chai awakens India’s consciousness every morning and gives it a second whiff in the evening; stimulating and restimulating our ‘tea’nacious spirit everyday.
The internet has given a thumbs up to our fascination with tea, and even tried to marry it with technology. Cutting chai is getting the cutting edge. It has shows, shops, subscriptions and shopping lists welcoming it on the internet.
Of Men, Women and their Chai Sutta Chronicles
The greatest revelations happen to Indians not under the shade of a tree, but with friends, while having chai and cigarettes. This is what the creators of the online series Chai Sutta Chronicles wanted to capture – the banter among young professionals, who are the not-so-cool guys in the corporate ladder.
IIT graduate Arunabh Kumar came up with this web series on his You Tube channel The Viral Fever Videos. The show is India’s homegrown version of Jim Jarmusch’s iconic Coffee and Cigarettes. The six part series’ first season has a viewership of over six lakh views per episode.
There is a saying, Jahaan Chai Wahaan Rai (opinion). That’s what Chai Sutta Chronicles wanted to capture
– Arunabh Kumar, Founder, The Viral Fever
The show was a hit with 34 year olds, Arunabh says. He tells The Quint that the second season of Chai Sutta Chronicles will come in July this year. So keep your cuppa of gossip warm and raring.
The Digital Dukaan of Chotu Chai Wala
What started as a goodwill project by Zepo is now a digital dukaan of the chai wallahs of Bandra. The idea behind Chotu Chai Wala was to test if technology could be used to aid the unorganised chaiwala sector. Subscriptions are paid for online and the tea vendor is informed by call/SMS.
A one month subscription is for Rs 380, of which Rs 100 is the convenience charge, where tea is delivered to you once daily. The subscription money is pocketed by the chai wallahs themselves. In 10 months, the website (launched in May 2014) receives 1,000 orders a month. The bummer – it is currently only delivering in Bandra.
Marrying tea and technology as an idea is very well appreciated on the Internet
– Varun KR, Marketing Executive at Zepo
The website follows a subscription based model. One can get weekly, two weekly and monthly subscriptions at different prices.
Humans of New York – The Chai Wallahs Of India
The creators of this website, journalists Resham Gellatly and Zach Marks believe if New York cabbies can tell the story of an entire city in their interactions with passengers, the chai wallahs of India can tell the story of a whole country.
This prompted them to document the ordinary and extraordinary stories of the chai wallahs of India. And thus, was born Chai Wallahs of India. It has an Facebook page, too.
Pop Goes The Chai
Ketli Kitsch is ‘kewl’ here. Retailers such as Happily Unmarried, Roti Kapda Makaan, Tappu Ki Dukaan, etc. are selling attractive chai merchandise at prices ranging from Rs. 400 to Rs. 2000. Jugmug Thela also sells its wares online, serving high quality artisanal teas prepared using fresh and authentic ingredients. Think kadak chai, lemon chai, spiced bhor chai and more.
Sellers are many. Aapko ‘chai’ye kya?
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