Memories of The Kaka Tea Shop at Starbucks

I visited the Starbucks at Hiranandani Powai  and found it packed to the gills, there was a person at the door to welcome me and told me I could sit anywhere I liked and there were no reservations.  The Americano coffee large was good and nice and affordable and hot.

[caption id="attachment_119" align="aligncenter" width="225"] There was comfort and sanctuary in the kaka tea shop like shade from a tall tree.[/caption]

It brought back memories in the early 1980's of the Kaka tea shop at Wheeler Road, Cox Town in Bangalore a favourite haunt late in the night for a cup of tea. Kaka is a term used for a  specific community from Kerala who specialise in setting up tea stalls and provide snacks at an affordable rate.

Some of the most exciting debates and discussions were at the Kaka shop whether it be politics, philosophy, science or anything under the SUN, there was always an opinion and everyone pretended to be the master. There was not internet or search engines  in the eighties.

Our knowledge was gleaned from reading books, papers, magazines from both India and elsewhere in the world, the American magazine was Span, there used to be one from USSR and one from East Germany, the National Geographic and the Time Magazine, plus we had access to books in the public library at Wheeler Road, Sindhi Colony.

At the tea shop there was only one standard brew; the same tea leaves would be brewed again and again, some fresh tea leaves were added for each round of brewing. The tea powder was put in a white cloth (locally known as thorthu) and tightly bundled. Not a drop of tea liquour was allowed to remain in the cloth as it was tightly wrung after each round of brewing; the cloth itself had its own distinct colour with no evidence that it was a white cloth at the beginning of time. The quantum of milk was kept to a minimum in the tea giving it a dark brown colour.

There used to be a credit system by the owner of the Kaka tea shop  for tea, biscuits and cigarettes to his trusted patrons, though he had a board in the cash counter "No Credit Allowed" .

The stall used to have a small menu of eggs in various preparations which included single omelet, double omelet and boiled which were the star items along with bread butter/jam along with a dish known as ceylonese parathas.

Our first introduction to Hindi film music was the Kaka tea shop, there used to be an old valve radio on top of the cash counter which would be tune to Radio Ceylon the most popular radio station for Hindi Music. We used to be entertained by Radio Ceylon blaring Hindi Music in the background  as we continued our discussion over tea and the smokers with their cigarettes about life, careers and numerous other discussions.

liquor was not served or allowed to be consumed  in the Kaka Tea Shop; only tea and snacks were allowed.
As we grow older we crossed the Road and continued our discussion over Beer at the Dolphins Bar and the Kaka Tea Shop was no longer the preferred haunt.
I still remember with joy the days spent sipping Tea at the Kaka Tea Shop at Wheelers Road; no Starbucks can replace the charm, grime and smell of a the Kaka Tea Shop at Wheeler Road, Frazer Town, Bangalore, India.

Memories of the Cox Town Market

As the year comes to a close, I remember the Cox Town Market at Bangalore and the memories of an era gone by and only the great New Year fair at Cox Town which still endures.

My family moved into Hutchins Road, Cooke Town in 1965 and the local market was the Cox Town Market, if you did not get stuff here then you would go the big brother Russell Market and if you wanted more aggressive deals to the City Market.

The shopkeepers spoke excellent English at Cox Town Market and though it was a small market it had almost everything you needed to run your home. The tall rain trees always kept the market cool and shady and I still remember there was a cycle stand outside the gates of the market.

The opening and closing time was 9 a.m.  to 1 p.m., afternoon break and then 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.  on the dot and on Sunday’s  it would be closed; actually the huge metal gates would open and close at the given time like clockwork.

The  best memories of the Cox town market is the New Year Fair, the market and the road and the tree would be lit for the evening fair, though the crowds would start assembling from 4 p.m. right through the night.

People of all walks of life would overflow from the footpath onto the road which was closed to traffic for the New year Eve fair. The old and young would haggle with the hawkers all set for this one big day  who would line both sides of the road from Cox Town market all the way to Cox Town Circle. The whole area had a festive air and we would make it a point to visit the fair year on year to buy some trinkets and other stuff from the vendors. There used to balloons, masks, bows and arrows, guns, all sorts of clay figures,  eats and cakes and whole lots of other stuff on sale and the final  price depended on your ability to haggle with the road side sellers. It used to be a cacophony of noise with trumpets, stringed instruments, drums and all sort of musical instruments including whistles and blow horns all going together with the church bells ringing at midnight to usher in the New Year.

The  shops were not many, as you entered the gate were the provision stores and on the left corner I remember the fruit and vegetable shop and at the end of the market was the butcher and at the entrance on the right the fish shop.  The fruit display was awesome and so was the display at the vegetable shop. There were stone barriers put up at the gate to keep out cycles and the cattle from coming into the market. One outstanding feature of the Cox Town Market was it was always kept clean.

The shops had beautiful tiled roofs and lovely granite support for the roofs and plastered walls made of brick, the whole market had an imposing feel and looked like it would last forever.

The best times in the Cox town market was when there were the unpredictable cloud bursts of Bangalore and you had to take shelter in the shops till the rain stopped. These are wonderful memories the rain hitting the tiled roofs and cascading down into a torrent neatly into the gutter provided for taking the rain water away. The huge trees around the market would continue to drip water even after the rains stopped and the pungent smell of the fresh earth, the meats, poultry, fishes, spices and others in the market would really bring one’s sense alive and if it was in the late afternoon as you cycled home you would wade through the aroma of fresh baking Thomson’s Bakery.

Opposite the market was the Cox Town Ladies Gymkhana, with its tennis court and next to it the Frazer Town Police Station (I wondered why this was not called Cox Town Police station, though it was situated in no man’s land between Cox Town and Frazer Town boundaries). The police station was an imposing building made of granite and very grand and forbidding. Towards the Cox Town circle were a few imposing bungalows (all demolished now) and across the road there was the Church. There was also the Municipal Hospital at Cox Town and the Cox Town Girls School run by the municipality.

At about 3.30 p.m. everyday other than Sundays the air would be filled with the aroma of fresh baking from the Thomson’s Bakery. The Thomson’s Bakery too was English and Bread Paper was used to wrap the bread and milk buns which were outstanding, The best season for the Thomson’s Bakery was Christmas, New Year and Easter, when you would get the best from the bakers.

The old Cox Town market has been demolished and replaced with a new concrete structure,  with this simple act the historical landmark  of an era gone by has been buried forever.

 

Bangalore gets Elevated ↑ Namma Metro.

[caption id="attachment_184" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The Namma Metro Logo on the left hand top corner of this picture at MG Road station."]

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Indiranagar 100 Feet Road Revisted

Last week I was in Bangalore again and was on the 100 feet road Indiranagar before day break on a walk with my sister.
The weather was beautiful and with a good amount of chill in the air after the earlier nights rain.
Nature had taken upon herself to clean the roads and remaining trees on the 100 feet road, everything was looking freshly minted.
The pavements are not fit for walking, was surprised to see such poor engineering in India's  Silicon Valley.
So most walkers walk on the road and we too decide to follow in a single file, which meant limited conversation with my sister.
My sister showed me the site where some early morning walkers were mowed down by a speeding car a few months ago.
The positive was the presence of policemen patrolling the area, this was reassuring, kudos to the Bangalore Police for their constant vigil.
A young  biker skidded on a T junction and within minutes the police came on a motorcycle and began investigations.
There were more stumps of the  chopped trees , one stump had ferns planted on it, maybe a tribute to the dead tree  since it was Ash Wednesday.
The side streets of Indiranagar still retain their pristine beauty with trees which have still not met the power of the AXE as yet, the question is how long.
The trees around the metro route have been retained which was reassuring  exception I am told was when the poor tree stood on the way of the metro.

[caption id="attachment_168" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The city transforms from sleepy Bangalore to Vibrant Bengaluru!"][/caption]

The 100 feet road today seems to be a hot spot for chain snatching especially among women walkers and the police ask the women to walk with no jewellery.
This visit I accepted that the old Bangalore  was also dying just like the trees of the 100 feet road and in its place was springing up a Mega city.
My only prayer was that Bangalore still retain its soul and beautiful climate in this wanton growth of this once garden city of India.
RIP old Bangalore, Welcome to the World Bengaluru the new Global Mega City.

A quick link to my earlier blog post on this stretch of Bengaluru/Bangalore.
http://subramanianls.wordpress.com/2011/04/05/bangalore-musings-100-feet-road-indiranagar/http://subramanianls.wordpress.com/2011/04/09/indiranagar-100-feet-road-in-pictures/