Chaiwala!

The brilliance of “Chaiwala!” lies in its simplicity and specificity. It is a ‘small moments’ story of a mother and daughter travelling on a train that stops for ten minutes at the Jaipur railway station in Rajasthan, India. As is customary, the duo alights from the train for a quick cup of chai and biscuits before boarding the train again, just in time.

Writing about India is almost impossible without first-hand experience. Kudos to Priti Birla Maheshwari for being so specific in mentioning the name of the station Jaipur (in the North-Western railway zone) and that very much defines the small moment described in her story – from the scents of the masala chai ingredients to pairing the chai with ‘biscuits and rusk’. Ashley Barron doesn’t skip a beat in the illustrations – the glass for serving tea, the colour of the train compartment, the other travellers – each element is specific to the region.

If the same story were set somewhere in the South-Eastern railway zone in India, the attire of travelers would have had to be different, chai would have been served in ‘kulhad’ (disposable earthenware), the chai recipe would have been drastically different too, and regional delights like ‘jhalmudi’ or ‘alur-chop’ would have appeared, depending on the railway station.

Great news for readers in Singapore – this book is available at the public libraries!