Amid Lucknow’s gulabi thand (mild winter), we had one of the most unexpected treats one night. A stall opposite the Rumi Darwaza sells this beautiful Kashmiri pink tea, on tap from a large embellished brass and copper samovar, pouring it onto a ceramic bowl and saucer, with a layer of malai and a khari, delicately balancing on the top. “Dip it or break it into the tea and let the flakes gently blend into the cloyingly sweet chai, flavoured with just a hint of nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, saffron and kewra,” said our host. The butter and salt from the khari broke the sweet streak, and it was one of the best things we had on that trip.

In a nation that bleeds chai, everyone has a story. Recently, we read The Book of Chai: History, stories and More than 60 Recipes by Mira Manek (Headline Home, Rs 809), which delves deep into the ritual. Through the book, Manek urges us to ‘keep making time for those small things that, together, bring big joy, moments that feel like a sigh, that ground you, like making your chai with spices, grating ginger or crushing cardamom pods, savouring each sip as you read or journal or simply sit.’