Cheeni Kum

Cheeni Kum

She has become very health conscious since the last 4 to 5 years. Physical workout and diet control  , both of us have adopted as part of staying healthy. Sugar and salt the two white demons were in the first lot to be targeted for the beginning of the action plan. Switching over to rock salt,  no extra salt and the strategy for sugar was slow and gradual reduction in the use. We reached a stage where half teaspoon of sugar was added to our morning  tea rituals. I can leave everything but not the morning tea. I remember in the initial days of my career in New India  ,I used to walk for 1 km to have the morning  tea. She always blames me for developing her morning tea habit. I think the morning tea habit helps us to replenish our love for each other. 

The morning tea is the perfect kick start for the day. She makes sure to prepare the perfect blend of milk, water,sugar and ginger and brewing it for the right time. She has not changed the  brand of tea for a long time. Morning tea shows the day. I was knowing she has started operation sugar - slowly and gradually reducing the sugar intake. But I couldn't find the difference in the sweetness of the tea. Never tried to question her on this matter. The open formula for a happy married life. Initially I had problems adjusting to the tea served in the workplace.  The definition of less sugar was different for me and the office boy. Ultimately I made it without sugar not only in my workplace but also during business meetings. In the initial days I was a strong believer of "Anytime is a Tea time" maybe to justify the intake of more cups of tea. But now I have reduced it to the minimum.Even the practice of a hot cup of  tea in the evening to refresh yourself has been  stopped.  Dinner by 8 pm has become a part of our health routine. 

Getting up early , some stretching exercises,  pranayam and followed by a cup of tea and then morning walk along with our pet Joules has become a religious routine for both of us. Though I boast that I can cook , can prepare perfect tea and manage myself and household work and can take care of Joules,  I always hope not to be tested in those fields. But sometimes you have to accept challenges unwillingly. She had to visit Delhi to see her father, who is not keeping well. A short trip of 4 days- two weekdays and two days of weekend.  As a brave husband and to maintain the male ego, I planned for the smooth management take over of the household matter. Two days working from home and instructing my younger son to plan his schedule to help me in managing things very smoothly. The toughest job was making Joules not feel the absence of his Maa. We saw her off in the airport. I was sensing the smell of freedom.  

Perfect planning for "A man's day out". I have to make sure that her instructions are followed properly. Getting up 30 mnts earlier and completing the morning exercises and most important preparing morning tea and then a walk with Joules. I decided to skip the cycling part to give some extra time to Joules and prepare his food.But I couldn't get the morning kick, the morning tea was not perfect.  Bland, and multiple deviations from the standard set by Sipra. As the schedule was tight, I decided to make a failure analysis later on. But two boiled eggs, the forbidden food for me,made the day for me. I have to replenish the stock of eggs to have a perfect stock taking to hide my crime. The other challenging part was to decide the menu for lunch and dinner. I made a self promise, henceforth to provide my complete support to Sipra in deciding the daily menu. It was a hectic day, attending some VC, office work, mails,calls in addition to the miscellaneous  household work. Giving a complete briefing to her over a video call and not giving her a chance to find out any deviation, boosted my morale to prepare myself for the next day.

I had recollected my memory regarding the process of making the perfect morning tea and motivated myself " You can do it ". Instead of one cup I decided to make two cup of tea, so that all the ingredients were as per the quantity specified by her for our morning tea making. It was better than yesterday,  but again completely bland. I was sure that I had added the right quantity of sugar as advised by her. Then what went wrong. Again next two  days the same story. Though I have told her with a brave face that I am ready to take over the task of preparing the morning tea. I have started developing the idea of Sabotage by her, by giving me the wrong recipe for the morning tea, so that there is no threat to her area of expertise. I have made up my mind to keep a watch on her to find out the correct  recipe.  She returned after the short trip,  sad for leaving behind parents and brother's family . But the wagging tail and happiness of Joules helped her to neutralize her mood. We had a quiet dinner. The daily routine started the next day, getting up early, a session of exercise and yoga and the morning tea.  I was waiting for the same, as usual she took back the  charge and control of the kitchen. In the pretext of discussing her Delhi stay and to help her find the kitchen items which may have lost the designated place of storage,  I was inside the kitchen along with her. The ritual of making  the morning tea started, right amount of milk and water,boiling the mix and adding the grated ginger - quantity and the timing of adding it, then more boiling and adding sugar- same quantity and after some time tea dust was added and the brewing . I could smell back  the aroma that was missing since the last few days. 

Again the perfect morning tea . Same process, same recipe,  I couldn't make out the gap analysis.  Though I was enjoying the tea with her in the background of a rain soaked lazy early morning,  my mind was active like that of the famous Byomkesh Bakshi to find out reasons  for my failure in making the perfect morning tea. I have accepted her supremacy and my misadventure of showing expertise in the kitchen. But what went wrong?  Yes, I could find out the only deviation she made while making the tea, the same half tea spoon full of sugar but she put it with her hand not with the spoon. Cheeni kum but the added sweetness of her touch was the difference. I could find out the secret of making perfect morning tea but can't copy the intellectual property right.  Let it be with her forever.

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