Caffeinne Memories

 I’m writing this while waiting at Bengaluru airport, midway at through a long and tiring connecting journey with  eyes heavy, body aching.  In search of something comforting, I grabbed a hot filter coffee from Rameshwaram Café an outlet near Gate 35. It was strong, rich, with that signature South Indian aroma that cuts through the fatigue.Having a sip of that cofee , my mind took me to my PG days - Standing on a chilly mornings at weekends  at Bhupathi Coffee   the tiny roadside stall  opposite Egmore Railway station ,that served what still remains the best coffee I’ve ever had 

 

Bhupathi’s wasn’t glamorous. No fancy décor,  Just a steel boiler, a weathered counter, and the man himself ,with his no-nonsense pouring technique and quiet efficiency. But come 5 a.m., the place was alive with the smell of roasted beans and the sleepy chatter of people who come in and  out of Egmore railway station .

My mind took me to PC,( parrys corner) at Chidambaram where I had spend a decade of my life as a student and teacher . At times , we'd gather there  at late night for a half coffee and omlette .   It wasn’t just caffeine. It was connection. The camaraderie blend with the smell of coffee .It was the comfort of being young at that time ... 

And though I’ve tried coffee  many times,  in cafés across Kerala, but nothing has ever quite matched  Tamil nadu coffee . Kerala has its strengths, no doubt , but when it comes to coffee, it never quite had the same punch.

I had tried Starbucks and many  of its clones , but there  I find everything except the soul. The music is loud, the prices louder, and the coffee? It’s professional. Polished. Distant.

Here at Rameshwaram Caffe ,with the paper cup in hand , somewhere between the sips, I found pieces of myself as  a traveler,  a seeker rooted and  brewed in memories