"...Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, And eternity in an hour"

Train buffs, travelers, truth seekers, and tea-connoisseurs: these four Ts sum up Alice and Larsk, the two young Swedes, who pitched their tent for a couple of weeks in my mom's guest house, next door. Larsk, a yoga instructor and Alice, a budding artist had decided to take off on a journey of self-discovery across the world. Yes, all the way from Sweden to India, they had come by land, and that too, mostly by trains, including Trans-Siberean express!  While walking around with their backpacks, it was the "Orange Peel" tea gallery sign, which drew them in. Being tea experts, they needed to taste and learn about ours. 

"So, which tea do you have: green, white, red, yellow, black, oolong, or jasmine?"

 "Sorry, we only serve floral and fruit teas here, with a dash of green, or Darjeeling.   And, right now, we should be able to offer you hibiscus orange, and blue cowpea with rosemary". The apologetic tone of my answer was clearly audible.

 'Adventure' being the duo's middle name, they were ready to explore our options. 

After having had, what I thought and hoped a satisfactory experience of our little gallery, they decided to move into the serene premises of the guest house for the duration of their stay, promising to give us a taste of their collection of teas in a near future. 

And lo, one  morning, there we were, five of us, at a table under the keet roof, each one fronted by a small off-white cup atop a blue cotton coaster. The February air was cool, and quiet, with an occasional volley of questions, being aimed in our direction, from an inquisitive  brainfever. Assisted by Larsk, a 750 ml bottle of hot water, and a little pouch of white tea teamed up to give us an experience we shall all remember for a long time to come. Larsk had decided that white tea would be a good introduction for the uninitiated. Unprocessed, and unblemished by time, white tea with its yellow tinge, is known for its cleansing property. And, if taken with intentions, it could also help gain a clarity of the 'self'.

The tiny kettle from where the tea was being poured, was getting refilled from  the hot water bottle, which, in turn, flowed into our cups. We sat in silence, slurping our tea, a tad noisily, to gauge its auric depth; talking only if impelled to. 

Our tea session must have lasted more than an hour, by the end of which the five of us had managed to  absorb the whole 750ml of tea, which is just a little more than one and a half pints, which, if divided into five would equate to150ml (almost two thirds of a cup) per head. And yet, when we finally decided to take our leave, we felt not only aesthetically and spiritually fulfilled, but also gastronomically satisfied. 

Midst all the madness of our daily life, midst the growing threat of Coronavirus, midst the political and communal upheaval the country is going through, midst the uncertainty surrounding the Olympics in Japan,  here we were, finding our own Nirvana in a cup of tea.