With or without milk, tea is here to stay and rule Bengalis' hearts as well as minds. This is what we learnt at CHAPANUTOR, a steaming hot adda presented by Mother Dairy Dailycious, in association with Anandabazar Patrika , on a rainy Sunday evening at GD Birla Sabhagar. Moderated by Open Tee Bioscope maker Anindya Chattopadhyay, eight celebrities brewed up a storm of words. Metro sipped on the friendly banter...
THE CONTENTION: Bodle jaoa chaer ronger songey songey bodle gechhey Bangalir manan (With the changing colour of our tea, the mindset of Bengalis has also changed).
• FOR
Chandril Bhattacharya (musician-writer): These days, people ask for tea without milk and sugar. It's almost like wanting to get intoxicated without acknowledging the ill-effects. There's hardly any self-assessment left in Bengalis now. Their mindset has changed. Now they indulge in yoga but never try ' jogasan'. Earlier they were not so dissatisfied or depressed because they didn't feel so guilty to indulge in mutton on Sundays. Now they calculate the calorie intake on their mobile applications! People can say laal cha is pure tea. Then, why not eat raw chicken? Even that is pure. The change in the colour of tea is like a symbol that we have become absolutely indifferent. We are busy imitating and washing dirty linen in public.
• AGAINST
Rupam Islam (singer-songwriter): The idea that the mindset of Bengalis is only related to tea is very stereotypical. What is all this about brewing up a storm in a teacup? That's for those who fail to achieve success in life. It's like looking down upon Bengalis. Just like most of us, I have observed that children always start with milk tea. Even now, any special tea is still made with milk.
• FOR
Ushasie (actress): There was a time when best friends fought and patched up at the same tea table. Lovers met at Basanta Cabin to enjoy a few private moments over a cup of tea. Many revolutionists were born on university campuses while discussing issues over cups of tea. Neighbourhood friends met to chat over tea. Many used to go to New Market just to buy the perfect tea. From 1990, people wanted to go global. But green tea and iced tea cannot lift spirits like milk tea did earlier.
• AGAINST
Churni Ganguly (actress-film-maker): I am a tea-drinker. I don't think Bengalis are changing. I feel tea means Bengali and Bengalis mean tea. Period! I have come to defend myself. I drink laal cha and if you question my Bangaliana on the basis of the tea I drink, that's unacceptable. If you call me 'not Bengali enough' because I can't tie my hair as it's short or because I use too many English words while I talk, then it's fine. Bengalis aren't racist, so why question the colour of tea? Tea is something to be enjoyed. At Jadavpur University, we had adda sessions over cups of tea but it didn't matter what kind of tea. Bengalis can prepare fish in various ways. Likewise, we can also experiment with various kinds of teas!
• FOR
Ritabhari Chakraborty (actress): Bengalis started changing after the liberalisation of 1991. With globalisation, there occurred a change in our lifestyle. International influences gripped us. This had pros and cons. As a result, the basic structure was shaken. We started making films that only bring commercial success. Inspiration and imitation are different things! Today, there aren't too many musicians who can spark a revolution. Adda has become obsolete because people are too busy in idle gossip and watching TV shows. The young generation prefers to sit with chilled beer and go mall-hopping. I am not saying that it's good or bad, I am just saying that things have changed.
• AGAINST
Srijato (poet): I drink laal cha. After the 2011 Assembly polls, the tea-seller in my neighbourhood said, "Aaj theke green tea hoe gechhe!" Wit of Bengalis hasn't diminished. Formal education has nothing to do with wit. One has to keep one's eyes open. Bengalis are always inclined towards milk tea. There are only a few tea stalls in Calcutta where you get laal cha easily. People regret not having another Tagore but was there anybody like him before he was born? People like Satyajit Ray and Ali Akbar Khan are born once. Bengalis will forever remain jealous of others and be lazy. They will never change. When we idolised Kabir Suman, Anjan Dutt and Nachiketa, our fathers and grandfathers objected as they always thought music meant Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and Manna De. That's why Bengalis can never change.
• FOR
Sudipta Chakraborty (actress): It's strange that a state's name changed but we have nothing to say about it! Bengalis have changed, for sure. After paribartan, the change is more evident. Why are we talking about Bengalis in Calcutta alone? There are many Bengalis living across the world. Now Bengalis are no longer helpful towards one another. People like Vidyasagar and Mother Teresa no longer inspire Bengalis. Everything is changing, so why not tea? Now we go out and eat Bengali cuisine at fancy 'authentic' Bengali restaurants because we can't cook that at home. We want to have instant tea while checking Facebook. I am not saying change is bad but everything isn't good in this kind of change.
• AGAINST
Chaiti Ghoshal (actress): Bengalis haven't changed at all. People may have shifted to Café Coffee Day but even now I see young couples at teashops. Bengalis were always health- conscious. We have always been active on the playground so I can't agree that we have started worrying about our health only lately. Having tea with or without milk is an objective change but not a subjective one.
• THE VERDICT:
A tie (by a show of hands).
Text: Ratnalekha Mazumdar
Tea with milk is like... Complete the line and send it to ttmetro@abpmail.com
