Siliguri, Oct. 21: Dharlene Marie Fahl is the creator of 101 tea “chants”, poems that she has penned to celebrate the powers of brew — a must during “festivi-tea” or to keep one’s “sani-tea” or simply for greater “compatibili-tea”. And 36 of the 101 “chants” have been brought out in Sereni-Tea.
“My fascination with tea has grown over the past six years. As I grew accustomed to the beverage and started consuming it everyday, I felt it could be related to the well-being of an individual, particularly when it is an established fact that tea is a health drink,” Fahl told The Telegraph during a visit to Siliguri early this month.
“Being an inspirational writer, my attempt was to write poems or verses where tea can be focussed as a drink that is related to every aspect of a human being’s life, attitude and expressions. I worked for years and finally, could come out with the book which contains 36 of the 101 poems. Two more books on the same subject would be released in the coming years. I am working on them now.”
The 209-page book, on how to develop the self with qualities that can contribute in achieving personal and social goals, has chapters like Compatibili-tea, Masculini-tea, Receptivi-tea, Festivi-tea, Reciproci-tea, Sani-tea and Adversi-tea. Each chapter starts with a tea poem, and then moves on to quote some of the greatest tea lovers across the world followed by Fahl’s claims of how the brew helps to achieve tranquillity, fight adversity, or retain sanity, depending on the chapter.
For example, in “Tranquili-tea”, Fahl, who is based in California, writes: “…………I am refreshed, replenished and rejuvenated/From this place of purity and perfection...”
I drink of my own goddess/and know my vessel will never empty/I sip slowly and enjoy it totally…….with each sip I am enlightened/ I am all I need to be….Thank You Tranquil One…”
The chapter on “Vitali-tea”, starts with “…… I am able to revitalise myself as often as necessary/ I need only sip of this ancient elixir/ to remember by own good….” Each chapter has four parts, a chant, a paragraph on how the cuppa helps to improve the self, a quote from a famous tea lover and finally the “affirmation”.
The “affirmations” are mostly four-liners. One such “affirmation' reads: “Part of me known the history and mystery of tea/I drink while it is hot/ It finds the spot.”
Transformation Media Books has published Fahl’s Sereni-Tea, priced $15.95.
“Despite tea being the most popular beverage across the globe, it is yet to gain first position in my country (US). The charm and aroma of the beverage have attracted me so much that I decided to write a book, which can also serve as an instrument to popularise tea,” said Fahl, who has been certified a tea specialist by the Specialist Tea Institute of America.
“Once people understand how tea can help in improving their quality of life and keep them rejuvenated, the popularity of tea is bound to go up. This is the beverage by which you can pamper yourself at specific times during the day.”
Elaborating on her next books — all three would form a tea trilogy — Fahl said: “The second book would be a journey to the tea belts of the world, like India, China and Sri Lanka, complete with history and several other inherent information related to tea.
It would be a composition of fictional and non-fictional chapters while the final book would be a journey to eternity, with tea being the accompanying elixir.
