amrut- tulya!

It is 4 AM on a chilly winter morning, but it’s warm in here. The fire’s been lit and a worn out copper vessel fills to the brim with the piping concoction. Sitting by the fire he adds the secret ingredients and looks on as the fragrance wafts into the early morning breeze leading early starters and joggers like zombies to its source. The sorcerer’s lair? Not exactly, its just another day at work for bapu. Pehalavan as he is affectionately referred to by his peers is no sorcerer, just one of the countless amruttulya owners in the city.

It is nigh impossible to find a soul in pune who’s been deprived of the amruttulya experience. The amruttulya finds place in everyone’s remembrances and each has a special one to suggest. However for the blissfully ignorant, amruttulya means equivalent to amrit (elixir), a term that over the years has come to be synonymous with tea and tea shops in pune. In a city of ever-changing trends and “here now gone then” fads, holding on to the fickle loyalties of the people to survive is a real challenge for any business. But somewhere between the clutter of gourmet coffee outlets and the clamour of specialty eateries, the low profile, run of the mill chai-ki-dukan has not only managed to survive but flourish too. It is a pity then that it has failed to find much of a mention in the media of late, partly because of the cultural myopia that ails most of the media these days and mostly because the amruttulya culture is so entwined with the social fabric of pune that it is difficult to tell it apart.

From being the favored hangout for white-collared executives on a cigarette break, to playing luncheon for the less fortunate rag picker. From being a refuge from the books for college students to an oasis of information for the lost tourist seeking direction. From brewing revolutions for the kurta-clad communist to ponder over to soothing the revolting appendages of the toiling artist. The Amruttulya is many things to many people.. Of the many things in its favor ,easy accessibility and the lack of any airs about the shops is what makes them a big hit with the “tea”totallers of the city. One doesn’t need to be a tea leaf reader to understand that the amruttulya is more than just a passing trend, the cultural Diaspora that converges upon it is indication enough. Religion, caste and creed seem to take a back seat as connoisseurs of good tea indulge themselves and resort to that harmless activity called gossiping.

In this age where even places of worship offer better views of the deity for money, the amruttulya is one of the very few places where men are still treated as they were born, as Equals. Fancy a cutting?