The Zen Art of Peeling an Orange

Some people might think I am getting over-ambitious running a humble tea shop from a keet-roofed structure. I might suddenly be perceived as a potential political threat:  a future aspirant  for the coveted post of prime ministership, following in the footsteps of the success story of PM Modi himself. Even the simple name 'Orange Peel' of the tea shop could don on strategic implications. The suspicion of such speculators  is bound to grow deeper, as everything, by a sudden sequence of logic,  would start falling in place. 'Orange Peel', hmmm... it does ring of patriotism, and of  Hindutva.

But, seriously... Orange, ochre, saffron... perhaps, it's all the same to those for whom  the subtleties of life remain elusive.  For, while ochre is a natural clay-earth pigment, brownish yellow in colour, saffron is a flower-based, yellowish orange. While orange is orange, bright like the rising sun. And so is the logo of the tea shop. Now, there you are, your very first lesson in colours. As in art, so in life, a tad variance in shades can make all the difference.

Jokes and politics aside, the good news is there is now a brand new tea  shop  in the neighborhood, and everyone should rejoice, for the cooler, wetter spell is just around the corner. And there is nothing better than to wrap one's hands around a beautiful cup, sip some hot tea, crunch on munchies, while watching the sunset, through a pall of light rain. For, that's exactly what happened on the opening day of Orange Peel.  Later on, everyone, mainly friends and family who had come to support our venture, trooped up to the next level to watch the rainbow, arched across the sky. "This place is perfect," my friend Sofie exclaimed from the hammock, adding, "I think I am going to come here every day".

 It did not matter that because of some nervous, chaotic confusion in the kitchen, inherent in almost every first-day situation, I had hardly heard the rain tapping on the roof, had missed the rainbow, and had not even tasted my first brew of hibiscus orange tea, which turned out to be an all time favourite of most present...I was happy and relieved that we had finally made it through the evening.

"Come along inside. We will see if tea and buns can make the world a better place".