To say that tea is like oxygen for Indians is an understatement; it's at the very core of the mitochondria of each and every cell in every Indian's body. In fact, for many, it is a heart-wrenching truth that drinking tea out of a bucket every morning is not socially acceptable, and one must restrict themselves to a meagre cup of this golden leaf-water.
In India, if you miss your morning cup of tea, you are likely to yell at a stray dog on your way to work or punch your colleague in the throat for breathing too loudly. Such is the impact that this beverage has on our minds and our souls, and only a few brands of tea can pull off such magic (yeah go back to whatever hole you came from, Society Tea.)In fact, tea is of national importance to us, as only an illiterate and ignorant person would fail to correlate the growth of our nation's GDP and the increased tea production in India.
In the world, almost 3 million tonnes of tea are consumed every year, with India responsible for 30% of that figure. Within our country, a few distinct brands exist as market leaders in this industry, and Brooke Bond is one such brand.
I came across this brand when I was very young, aged just 3-months old before my mother handed me first cup of ginger-elaichi Brooke Bond tea (as is the tradition in our family). Since then, I have never even looked at another brand, let alone drink its tea. Many have tried to lure me with lesser forms of beverages, but have faced only resistance and dismay. No friend, you can keep your "hot cup of cappuccino" to yourself, and please don't come within a 10-kilometre radius of me ever again. I'll stick to my Bond. Brooke Bond.
Brooke Bond does not just command loyalty but is also intrinsic for family bonding; it can even bring a son closer to his parents.
When he was posted as the Commanding Officer in the valleys of Kashmir, I vividly remember the chilling winters of January in which my father and I would sit in our drawing room and discuss all my failures, sipping on warm cups of tea, with a glint in both our eyes as the tea began to warm us from within. My mother, who would affectionately ask me to shut the f*** up if I asked her for a shoe in front of a Nike store, would also melt like a block of butter if we sipped on two cups of tea from a nearby local vendor. When our relatives would come home and casually ask why I didn't get into an IIT, the house-help would bring in a tray of piping hot tea, the aroma of which would mesmerise everyone in the room and spark a gleeful conversation out of thin air. Therefore, this is not just a brand of tea or a cup of tea, but a glue amongst family and friends.
More than anything, Brooke Bond has helped me find the most important part of my life - Love.
I remember stepping into the Command Canteen to buy rations and immediately rushing into the aisle for tea where I bent down to put 72 packets of Brooke Bond Taj Mahal into my shopping cart. As my head rose up, I saw her. She had her hair tied up in a bun, and picked up a box of Brooke Bond. That is when I knew she was the one. As I rose up, she glanced at me for a second, and the sheer aura around her and the glow on her face made my heart skip a beat. She walked closer to me, and I began to smell her scent; the most delicate and feminine smell I have ever experienced. As her lips moved, my hands quivered, eager to hear her voice for the very first time. When she spoke, I couldn't comprehend what she said because the rush of blood overwhelmed me. Then she finally said for the third time, "Bhayia Saffola oil kidhar rakkha hai?".I told her I don't work there. "Oh aapki shakal sey lagaa aap yahaa kaam kartey hain".
That love story may have ended because she may have filed a restraining order against me for stalking and harassment, but at least a love story was born that day - all because of Brooke Bond.
Whether it's a $3-million dollar cup of chai-tea latte frappuccino too-bloody-overpricedinno at Starbucks, or a Rs. 10 tea at a train station - which is probably made from the toilet water of a Shatabdi - tea will always be close to my heart. I sincerely thank Hindustan Unilever for producing such a masterpiece that has changed my life and will continue to do so for years to come.
Till then, no other brand will be my cup of tea.
