Indian Coffee House

After a very long time I visited Indian Coffee House (ICH) in my native town Trichur. The décor and the furniture’s are all the same. Once inside memories rushed back as I am fairly familiar with this place. I was automatically drawn to the same corner table where we can see the entire view of the coffee house. Once up on a time we used to spent long time here. The restaurant is filled with its distinctive Coffee smell.

I was dripping into nostalgia of bygone era. We discussed Marxism, existentialism, jean Paul Sartre, Franz Kafka, M. Mukundan, O.V.Vijayan, Aravindan and what not sitting in this table. All that was fashionable then and we used to spend the entire humid evenings during college holidays talking meaninglessly about all this. We pretended to be a part of intelligentsia - perhaps which was a part of growing up.

In this place you can spend lot of time chatting, discussing or dreaming without any interruptions. Café Coffee Day and Costa coffee and the likes perhaps borrowed this concept from Indian coffee house or In India ICH is the first to introduce this model. ICH is always very loud, people talking and laughing without bothering about etiquettes. I always felt this is the best place to share secrets as no one will bother about you nor will any listen in this chaos.

When I left Trichur to Delhi my friends gave me a goodbye party of Masala Dosa and coffee in this same table. That was a very touching moment. I left the place as if I will never come back.

Fortunately I found one ICH in Delhi, near Connaught place. I frequented the place alone, watching and experiencing Delhi. The Delhi ICH was very loud with politicians and advocates; I realized that student population has ignored this place. Habitually people talked politics and cheap gossips and they used abusive words without any mercy.

As I started working I didn’t had any time to go to ICH and slowly lost touch. During my vacations to home town I was curious to venture to new eateries as I wanted to explore the progress of my town. I forgot Marxism and Existentialism, as I more and more concentrated in the fight for my own existence. I lost touch with Mukundan and in fact to the literary scene itself. Occasionally I turned the pages of cineblitz or some other gossip magazines. Although I made some material progress I lost touch with most of my passions.

When I relocated to Bangalore, again I found an ICH on M. G. Road and I regained my connection. The ambiance was very good and as usual the food tasty and modest. I frequented this place with friends but this time like most office goers the talk was about office, increment, promotions and stupidity of superiors as if we got into the vicious circle of life’s futility.

ICH always attracted crowed with a difference. They served the same humble food over the years without any fancy and fare; still standing tall with all its modesty in these times of café coffee day. If anyone gives me an option of ICH and Costa Coffee, I will certainly prefer ICH.

My salutation to you ICH!