Chai on the Veranda

Looking through the pages of Architectural Digest I came across pictures of beautiful verandas and porches. They remind me of my parents’ house in Hyderabad, India.

I am sitting once again on the veranda of my parents’ house. I hear the birds in the garden and feel the gentle breeze. Bright pink bougainvilleas, tall trees lining the outer wall of the house, and the soft fragrance of jasmine. Through the trees, I get a glimpse of the neighbors’ homes. A terrace here, a window there. This is the most beautiful part of the house and my favorite. It is early morning, my father joins me. We wait for my mother. She is arranging for chai to be brought to the veranda.

My father is ready to make plans for the day with my children. We are visiting from Dubai and the kids are still sleeping. My father wants to know about life in Dubai, my children’s schools, our vacations. My mother gives me news of my friends who still live in Hyderabad and haven’t left like me. I ask for more chai. My mother insists on getting a fresh pot made. We stay on the veranda till it is time for breakfast.

A vintage Cartwright & Edwards, Norville Ware tea service, made in England, belonging to my mother.

When I was a teenager I would often sit with my father on the veranda. Our conversations were relaxed. Papa talked about his experiences in England when he was studying there or the current news. He would ask me about my college. Sometimes I found my father sitting by himself deep in thought with a cup of chai and the newspaper beside him. If he heard me come downstairs he would call out to me to come and sit with him.

Verandas are unique parts of the house. Covered by a roof and open on the sides, I truly think the design of the veranda lends to the environment it creates. Without the constrictions of walls, there is an openness and an aura of freshness and energy on the verandas.

Even now the sight of bright pink bougainvilleas, a white pillar of a veranda, or wicker furniture on a porch will take me down memory lane to my parents’ home.