Chai Wallahs of India
Book
Format: Hardcover
Size: 10 x 8 in
Pages: 386
Illustrations: 350Chai Wallahs of India is a collection of writing and photographs by authors Resham Gellatly and Zach Marks, with photographs by Gellatly. I worked with the authors on editing the photographs and text together, and designed the resulting book.
The authors traveled throughout India’s diverse regions, interviewing chai wallahs from the northern mountains of Ladakh to the tea estates of Kerala in the south. The book tells the story of the evolving work of a chai wallah in a quickly shifting landscape, providing cultural context as well as exploring personal stories.The book is organized into geographic sections, in order to provide greater context for each chai wallah's story.
Chai Wallahs of India digs into the culinary culture of chai, looking at the varied recipes for the drink throughout India, with ingredients from yak milk to butter to lemongrass. The book also provides select recipes that will allow the reader to recreate authentic chai of many different varieties at home.
Chai Wallahs of India not only focuses on the chai wallahs themselves, but also on the culture of chai. Chai is part of the social fabric of India — a shared ritual, with the local chai stand as a kind of community water cooler around which people gather and catch up.
