Tapri vs. Sports Bar

A question for all Desis in the US,

When was the last time you met someone anywhere other than a bar, restaurant or shopping mall?

A friend of mine and I decide to meet and I know that we will meet at some bar almost every time. It is always going to be a bar or a restaurant or a shopping mall.

As I drive to the bar, I think of the options that I had back in Mumbai. I had rarely been to a bar to spend an evening with my friends. The most common hang out place was a ‘katta’ (a small concrete wall) or a ‘tapri’ (Road side Tea Shop). I am sure that a lot of Desis can relate to these places.

I cannot stop comparing the bar I am driving to and the tapri I used to go to.

The objective of both the places is the same. Spend some quality time with few friends, discuss the daily events and argue over topics that will never influence your life. While I agree that the sports bar will give the opportunity to do all these things, I also know that the Desi tapri used to provide me a lot more (entertainment) for a lot less (dollars).

I still remember the tapri outside my college in Matunga. It was built on footpath right outside my department building. There was a bench or ‘baakdaa’ which was always occupied by someone I never knew. For other customers, the sitting arrangement was provided by Mumbai municipality or what we call a ‘katta’ (a small concrete wall). There were no fancy bar stools or booths to enjoy the evening.

I have never spent a long time to decide my order at a tapri. I will get chai or coffee. The extra information would be either full or cutting. It was much simpler than the choice of beer, draft or bottle and finally regular or tall. I can eat ‘khari’ or ‘biscuit’ rather than going through a list of appetizers served at the sports bar. The tapri stuck to its objective of spending an evening and did not provide the option of having a dinner.

I can say that the tapri management (1 or 2 people who might have not learned more than fifth grade) was smart enough to target the right customer and provide everything that the customer asked for. Here is a list of things that a tapri provided that a sports bar has not provided me till date.

Ambiance – The tapri provided great ambiance for the occasion

The cars passing by would provide constant change in the mood. A nice roaring engine of a motor-cycle or a turbo fit car that passed by with full throttle, some guy who had to blast the music in his car so load that the vibrations could be felt in my cup of chai. A bar would never have this acoustics in the air. The bar will play music that would always seem similar irrespective of the song played. I prefer hindi songs played on the radio by the tapriwala. A catchy number from some Govinda movie or an oldie sung by Amitabh would blend perfectly with the other sound effects.

The bar space seems claustrophobic and the music and smoke adds up to it. The tapri believes in the open space policy. You have the freedom to sit anywhere you feel like and enjoy the cup of chai. The tapriwala would care least as long as you return the empty cup. There are no smoking or non-smoking zones for a tapri.

Accounting – The tapri has a unique trust in the customer

In this era, tapri is one of the very few places where you can buy now and pay later. The one word for this is ‘khata’ (account). One can buy a cup of chai and put in under his account. There are no papers to be signed or any collateral in this deal. It works purely on trust. In spite of all this, I have never seen the tapriwala ever complain about money.

I can never expect this at any bar in the US. Here, I would be expected to pay a decent tip in addition to the drink I bought. A tapriwala does not expect or might not even accept the tip if offered one.

Expense – The tapri does not require a happy hour to attract people.

We have all heard the term “Happy Hour”. The website www.answers.com provides us with the definition of this as ‘A period of time, usually in late afternoon and early evening, during which a bar or lounge features drinks at reduced prices.’ It lasts for more than an hour and is successful to attract the customers.
The tapri will not have any strategies to attract customers. The cup of chai speaks for itself. Even though you spend a lot less at any tapri than any bar, the low cost does not restrict the type of customers seen at a tapri. You will find a poor worker sipping the hot chai after the days’ hard labor as well as an office executive waiting for his chai.
I have no idea about the origination of the tapris in India. But I am sure that tapris have been serving millions of people in India for years. In this jet age, the tapri becomes a pit stop where people can relax, chat, and laugh over small things in life. The hot cup of chai always brings a much needed energy to carry on during the day.
While thinking all this, I am already parked in the front of the bar and am walking inside. I will have couple of drinks and will go home to catch up on my sleep.