Youth Incorporated Magazine

Author: Rishad Saam Mehta
For a country that survives on a ‘cutting’ morning, noon and night, and where chai-paani has a connotation which has nothing to do with tea or water, Hot Tea across India is an apt collection of tales from a travel writer and photographer. Written in first person about the various roles his cuppa has played through his journey through North India, Mehta presents witty descriptions of the people he has met along the way. From being the obvious – comforting to drink in the cold Himalayan valleys; to a conversation starter; to a bribe – both asked for and squiggled out of, and unexpectedly not asked for at all; to the culprit of a bad stomach; the cup of hot tea has served the author as a loyal companion. Each narrative leaves you hungry for more (or should we say longing for one more cup of tea?), and evokes a sense of adventure and beauty. On many of the fascinating escapades, Mehta is joined by his friends Chetan and Shapur. Mehta has a knack of making an instant connect with the reader with his style of writing, and dissipating even the most serious of moments with his words. And there, somewhere with these words comes in his cup of tea.

Volume 1 Issue 9