Ehsan Fazili/Srinagar

A striking familiarity with the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the British Cotswold tea rooms and an inherent longing for unique societal culture of Kashmir triggered the creation of Chai Jaai, offering over 60 tea varieties, making a mark through its journey of one decade.  Having worked both in the J&K State Government and Corporate sector, Roohi Nazki shot into prominence by blending the two diverse cultural traditions by opening not just a Café but combining the cultural space with it.

When she decided to work and settle back in Kashmir after a couple of decades in Bombay, various options came to fore including a chance encounter with a prominent businessman Jagdish Mahatta (Mehta) of Mahatta Studio. The meeting around 2015 discussed various options that concretized the opening of a tea room that would not just be a café, but would have a distinction.

Since Roohi Nazki had been a frequent visitor to England, her discussions with the business man grabbed the idea of combining the culture of British Cotswold tea rooms with Kashmiri culture of tea varieties and cuisines. The idea shot off as her regret was that people had “little knowledge about Kashmir” in the outside world.

Roohi Nazki with her staff

“We decided to open a tea room, with some touch of British Cotswold that are warm and welcoming places, adding to it Kashmir’s tradition of varieties of salt tea, Kehwa etc…”, Roohi Nazki said in a conversation with Awaz-The Voice at her office inside a Houseboat on Jhelum waters, which is being reshaped as a “Donga”, the earlier living homes of Kashmir dwellers on Dal lake and river Jhelum.

The Houseboat floats on the right bank of river Jhelum opposite to Chai Jaai on the bund (river bank) along the posh Residency Road separating it from the Polo Ground in a serene atmosphere. Everything at the Chai Jaai (place for tea), and the Houseboat has a touch of Kashmiri culture, traditions, arts and crafts in the heart of the valley’s capital.

The beginning, thus, was made in June, 2016, prior to Ramazan, with little business during the holy fasting month. However, soon it faced a setback with the killing of militant commander, Burhan Wani, a day after Eid-ul-Fitre on July 8, plunging the Kashmir valley into a shutdown coupled with curfews, communication blockades and clashes, continuing for over four months.

With the onset of winter, “We started serving the Kashmiri cuisine, Harissa……it was, and continues to be, home-made and served to families in a dignified manner”, Roohi Nazki told Awaz-The Voice.

Roohi Nazki

Referring to the progress ahead, Roohi Nazki pointed out that the business picked up with “Harissa”, attracting mainly the younger generation who even went on to cherish it by evenings as a substitute to dinner. “Harissa”, a mutton delicacy, mainly prepared overnight during winter months, is mashed with rice flour and aromatic spices into a paste-like stew, which is served hot with girda, tandoori roti providing warmth during freezing winter months. It came to Kashmir from Central Asia in the 14^th century.

While many families prepare it at home, it is mostly available from Harissa shops traditionally in downtown, though the vast population in Srinagar gets it online as well.

Not only Harissa, but many other things and traditional utilities like “Samawar”, the copper made kettle with inbuilt space for ambers to keep salt tea or Kehwa boiling, are also available at the outlet overlooking serene waters of river Jhelum.

Roohi Nazki

“It has made a social cultural impact…it is not just a café. We did a lot of work in cultural space”, by organizing various cultural events like festivals to mark different seasons of Kashmir, she said. These included spring festivals like Habba Khatoon in the saffron town of Pampore or the winter festival.

These festivals engaged youth in particular, artists presenting different programmes and the people in general from different parts of the valley, Roohi Nazki added.  “With spring festival in 2017 much work was done between 2016 and 2018”, she said, adding that artists, craftsmen and women were engaged in different activities. “My father supported it”, being a cultural business, Roohi said. Her father, Farooq Nazki, a well known poet, renowned broadcaster, who headed the Doordarshan Kendra and Radio Kashmir, Srinagar (now Akashwani), with over decades of experience, passed away on February 6, 2024.

Various programmes like Mushairas and events on occasions of Eids, Shivratri (Hearath) and Christmas, though some with criticism, and events presenting Kashmir’s street food were held. “Inclusivity is at the core of our programmes” that engage youth and the people at large, Roohi said.

As the word about Chai Jaai with the help of different events spread across beyond the Himalayas, many people from outside the valley started visiting the place, creating an emotional attachment. The local youth also got more attached to the place famously known as a filming location in the 2018 romantic film Laila Majnu and that witnessed visits of other Bollywood actors.

“When the Bollywood actors started coming it became a hit creating an emotional attachment of people because of these events”, Roohi commented. Describing the place as “not a Coffee House and not another café”, she said that it had created a “cultural space”.  

Roohi Nazki

There is a wide range of about 60 varieties of beverages from world tea to Kashmir, which “include 25 varieties of Cotswold tea and seven from Kashmir having the traditional rural touch”, Roohi informed.

The rural varieties include “Makki ki roti” and other authentic Kashmiri food, which otherwise are not made available in the hotels. “The aim is to familiarize local youth with the Kashmir vegetable verities like Handh, the common dandelion, a wild leafy green vegetable and kretch”, she said and added that Chai Jaai had also introduced the old dishes like Tchedwaer, a combination of rice, dal with other spices. 

“We are trying to create an experience for everything”, she said. It offers Kashmiri Chai (tea), Sheermal (roti), Saffron Kehwa, Lavassa Pizza among a vast range of varieties.

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It is also known as creating the Kashmiri pheran as a brand making it popular after the Government issued circulars discouraging the wearing of pherans in the education and local Government offices. Another brand created by Chai Jaai is Pyala (cup) tea cups designed by papier machie work.