The Chaat Basket

An embodiment of life's different facets.

- Dr Ritu Kamra Kumar

The other day we went to 'Chaat Basket'- a popular food Joint in our city. We had Bhalla Papri chaat. The crunchy layers of papri soft bhalla, crispy baby potatoes, moong dal sprouts, pomegranate seeds, creamy yoghurt, variety of supplements and flavours of hing, ajwain, jeera, black salt, eating it was like a gastronomic glee. The soft bhalla melded in the mouth. It was just extraordinary. Western platters such as pasta, Momos and dumplings are very popular among youngsters but Indian street food chaat Basket reigns over all these delectable delicacies. It is an all-time favourite of a majority of people and all age groups find it delicious. It gets easily digested too because of the ingredients put in it, curd, tamarind chutney blended with mint leaves. The aroma too is just heavenly.

As I nibbled through the assorted ingredients of chaat I felt our families, friends, acquaintances were like a Chaat Basket with veritable dispositions and demeanour. Our affinities and associations with them are an amalgam of different tastes and flavours- the warmth, the battle within families, the crazy intimacy, the tinge of jealousy, overall it is more like fusion food.