Hyderabad: Nothing lasts forever, as they say, and it couldn’t be truer for Hyderabad, which is rapidly going through major cultural shifts. Within that sphere of change are many, many things that have disappeared or have started to. If someone had told me a decade ago that one day our Irani chai-obsessed city would become a coffee-loving city, I’d have scoffed.
But I was wrong, which is why I am writing this now. As much as I don’t want to say it, the culture of sipping Irani chai in tiny cafes is slowly slipping away thanks to the birth of bourgeoisie cafes selling exotic coffee and more (which I am not complaining about, by the way). It’s a combination of different things, and as much as we romanticise nostalgic love of our heritage, sometimes it’s about moving on.
Until some time ago, my first reaction to anyone asking for a meeting earlier would be to rendezvous over Irani chai at say, Grand Hotel at Abids or anything of that sort. However off late, that has begun to change. This is coming from an overzealous Irani chai lover, who would obsessively wake up early every morning to drink it first thing in the morning (which I’ve also realised isn’t exactly very healthy), come what may.
But I now find myself figuring out where I can have cold brew or if I should have my regular cranberry coffee (at Roastery) each time someone asks for a meeting or to catch up.
Part of it is also about convenience and ambience. Earlier, I didn’t mind the hustle-bustle of Irani cafes, but the noisy environment now sort of gets to me. Plus, many of the older cafes have also done away with benches post the COVID-19 pandemic and only have standing tables. From what I know, this is also a business decision to prevent people from hanging out for way too long so that they drink chai and scram.
One of my favourite things to do at Irani cafes was always to be able to hang out with people over a cup of Irani chai for long without having to spend too much money. It’s not that I couldn’t spend, but the idea that there is an option to choose something like that, and a place which has some history, has some romanticism.
I guess coffee shops today have begun to offer more, unlike during my teenage years, when Cafe Coffee Day (CCD) was what would come to mind when someone would mention coffee. My current favourite, however, is the mix of orange juice, tonic and espresso. It makes for a wildly good concoction, FYI.
Of course, no matter how much coffee I drink, I will always not skip having Irani chai when I can. It is an intrinsic part of me. And regardless of my hyper love for Irani cafes, I think perhaps it’s time to accept this change
Why Irani cafes are still important
Irani cafes in Hyderabad are very relevant even today, of course, because these are historical establishments which hold stories. Many across generations still hold sentimental value for visiting the same place across generations. It is what makes these cafes a part of our city’s core culture, especially in terms of serving as spaces for conversations.
These cafes began to be established in the early 1900s, when there was a migration of Iranians to Hyderabad for jobs. Many just wanted to find new livelihoods and the city was perfect thanks to its Persian roots. The founder of the Qutb Shahi dynasty that built Hyderabad, Sultan Quli, was originally from Hamadan in Iran.
And the city has always welcomed many Persians over the centuries. So, these migrants who came looking for a livelihood set up cafes (which, by the way, was not something new for them back home). The only difference was that instead of serving black tea like in Iran, they started boiling milk as well and served tea by mixing both.
Irani chai comes from the owners of these cafes, who were from Iran. The oldest surviving cafe today is Grand Hotel in Abids (1935), followed by Garden Restaurant in Secunderabad (1941), where legendary Hyderabadi painter MF Hussain would often visit. Khazim Khorrami, who runs Garden, has fond memories of Hussain.
The unaddressed issue of patriarchy in cafes
It is, in fact, these stories why Irani cafes are important. At a time when there weren’t many fancy restaurants and niche spaces, these cafes served as a very important place for people to meet and talk. That is more or less what always drew me there as well. I vividly remember having chai as a child and just chatting with people.
But the city is now getting very loud, so these cafes, which are mostly uncovered and on the main roads, are too noisy to have a decent and relaxed conversation. Except for the cafes that have transitioned into restaurants, many have simply lost out because they failed to upgrade.
More importantly, Irani cafes have never been women-friendly as well, and are pretty much male-dominated spaces. Even the fancy Niloufer Cafe, which sells tea for about Rs 100 (give or take) in its upmarket areas, is still crowded with men on the standing tables. So, it is also about patriarchy and class. And except for having family sections, Irani cafes have never really addressed or tried to make it equitable.
Essentially, women have to pay a premium for some peace. Which is why, from what I have noticed, many young women would rather pay more and hang out at coffee shops than go to a dingy Irani cafe full of men in Hyderabad. This is not the case, say in Bombay, where women are not gaped at in cafes just for being there.
But regardless, I still love my Irani chai and khara biscuits. It’s not something that I will ever rid myself of, and no matter how many fancy coffees I have, chai will always be more important for me. The thing is that this situation is a conundrum because if Irani chai in Hyderabad became expensive, it wouldn’t work. The only exception to this is Niloufer, which I am personally not a fan of because the tea there tastes like brown Milkmaid.
From plain CCDs to hipster coffee shops in Hyderabad
I remember distinctly disliking whatever CCD had to offer, which is why I would always stick to my Irani chai. For years, I had absolutely avoided these CCDs like the plague. It was expensive and, honestly, the coffee there tasted yuck, because for an Irani chai lover, the bitter taste of coffee was unworthy of my money.
That eventually changed when I got introduced to cold brews and the cranberry coffee at Roastery Coffee House, which, along with the OTX at Sabha Cafe, are my favourites right now. But more importantly, these new cafes, while being fairly expensive, also offer some peace and a better ambience. I could maybe read a newspaper at an Irani cafe in the morning, but most have become so noisy that I can’t do that anymore.
What I do, however, think these new-age coffee shops will never have is the bonds and friendships that people have built at Irani cafes. Random people you meet at a particular time during your chai run. It’s hard for me to explain why the man sitting at the counter lights up seeing my face at Garden Cafe in the mornings. We chat about random things and then are joined by another regular.
I never thought there would be a day when I would deviate from my tradition of having Irani chai every day in the morning, but it is happening. I can only pray that our cafes don’t entirely disappear over time.
(The views expressed are solely those of the author)
