एक कप कडक चहा ☕️

 एक कप कडक चहा ☕️ 

Picture this- In the heart of Pune, nestled in the quiet lanes of Deccan Gymkhana, stood Shanti Apartments- a modest yet lively housing society where friendships brewed stronger than the चहा they sipped every evening.🌞In an era without WhatsApp groups or social media, the women of Shanti Apartments found their own way to stay connected- over a steaming cup of कडक चहा, homemade snacks, and endless conversations. 💬 

The scent of कडक चहा often wafted through the open balcony of Flat No. 302, mixing with the crisp Pune evening air. It was their chai time ritual, the one pocket of the day when a few women gathered together. I enjoyed watching these kakus greet each other with warm smiles when they returned home, often welcomed by “येगं, बस जरा थोडा वेळ, दमली अश्लील.. मस्त चहा टाकते मी.” The children, including myself, were always outside, running around, playing lagori, or riding our bicycles in carefree abandon. The streetlights would flicker on, signaling that it was time for mothers to call us in, but not before they had squeezed in some precious moments of socializing.

Each evening, as the sun dipped behind the old Gulmohar tree, the women gathered in Sujatha Aunty’s balcony or in someone’s cozy living room, balancing their cups on the arms of rickety wooden chairs, the scent of fried pakoras mingling with laughter. These weren’t just tea breaks; they were stolen moments of joy.

There was no jealousy or rivalry, only admiration and inspiration. The housewives marveled at the career women who stepped out into the world, and the working women admired how effortlessly the homemakers managed their families and kept traditions alive. 💞