My Daddy Strongest
Fathers are our super heroes. An Indian cooking oil brand advertising in the early 90s succinctly captured this sentiment with an iconic line yelled by the kid in the last frame, "my daddy strongest!" Like our moms, fathers are the equal half of the foundation on which we build our knowledge, wisdom, and experience. They make everything extraordinary with their care and lend us wings to fly, explore our dreams, and discover who we are. As kids, our relatives would always tease us with this question: who is your favourite parent? Our answer was always an angelic smile. We knew who our favourite parent is, what about you?
This Father’s Day, along with gift wrapped boxes of our fathers' favourite tea blends, the team behind Karma Kettle walk down memory lane to our favourite tea moments with our fathers. Enjoy the heartfelt words of gratitude and affection we share about our fathers, father figures, and new daddies. Happy Father’s Day!
Priti Sen Arora, Co-Founder
The earliest memories of sharing a cup of tea with my father goes back to my teenage years. Dad believed in the adage, 'early to bed, early to rise, makes a person healthy, wealthy and wise'. As an early riser, he would begin his day with a cup of classic Darjeeling tea. He would return from his early morning walk and prepare tea for the rest of the family (and the rest of us late lay lot!). We'd often wake up to the delicious aroma of a comforting chai stewing in the kitchen stove; this was usually enjoyed with our breakfast, newspaper, lots of conversations around current affairs, before heading off to school. This tradition continued even after we flew off the nest and headed to college, got married, and set up homes of our own.
Dad would continue to prepare mom's first cup of chai every morning till chemotherapy and the effects of an aggressive cancer took his life. Even though he's no longer with us and our mornings are never the same, we'll always cherish the fond memories of us enjoying his chai. So here's raising a cup of tea to my father: may our paths re-unite in another realm. Happy Father's Day!
Shirin Bardia, Marketing Manager
For every daughter, her father is the bestest in the world. It's the same for me. My father has not just been my pillar of strength, but has also pushed me to be the best version of myself. He has made me independent in ways I could never have imagined and has always been there for me. Shifting to Kolkata 4 years ago gave me the chance to spend more time with him. One of the ways to get my father to agree to anything we want is by brewing a nice cup of masala chai. On several occasions, my brother and I have bribed our way to our dad's heart with a hot cuppa.
I also consider myself to be lucky to have experienced the fatherly love and attention from not just my dad but also from my uncles (we grew up in a joint family) and later on, from my father-in-law. He was a one-of-a-kind person, always available with a helping hand, guiding and leading everyone selflessly. Though Covid took him away from us, his memories are forever etched in our hearts.
One of my fondest memories of him is how every morning after breakfast he would ask me if I was preparing coffee for myself instead of directly asking me to prepare a cuppa for him. This became our everyday ritual! And I absolutely loved the mock verbal lash I would receive if I served him his Darjeeling tea with even a spoonful less (less of what - sugar?)!
Fathers are the first friends that every child has and I am experiencing this again with my husband and my baby. They have their own antics and language of communication and no matter what, this bond is here to stay. Happy Father's Day to all the pillars of strength in our lives.
Nilofar Shamim Haja, Brand Strategist
I belong to a south Indian family, so tea and coffee have vied for equal attention at home all our lives. Ever since I can remember, dad would wake up at 6 am to brew the first few cups of filter coffee in the morning for the family (including my elder brother who is an avid coffee enthusiast) and the evening kadak chai or sulaimani tea would be mom's domain.
That tradition continues even today, in the month that my parents celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary.
Weekends were the exception to the brewing rituals; we would have a mid-morning cup of milky tea brewed by dad accompanied by homemade nanakhatai (shortbread biscuits) back in the 90s. He would add ginger and elaichi to craft a flavourful brew whose aroma would waft through the house. I also remember how we would enjoy dipping our tutti-fruity infused rusk and toast in the tea on the rare weekend occasions when morning tea was a leisurely affair at 10am. The rituals and conversations around a cup of tea are part of our golden memories and we'll always have this nostalgia no matter how old we grow. Here's raising a hot cup of tea in salute to our fathers!
Sreetama Kundu, Senior Marketing Coordinator
My father has been an inspiration all my life because he taught me the difference between right and wrong. He made me realise the importance of never giving up on something I love, be it a hobby or a dream. We both love cooking and as a team we bring out the best dishes on the table. When it comes to his best beverage, he loves to prepare his own tea, be it a classic Darjeeling tea, a Lebu cha or just simply chai. Happy Father's Day to a self reliant man who has also taught me to be the same and follow my passion without any hesitation.
Jayita Chakraborty, Marketing and Communications Associate
My father loves tea. We used to visit chai tapris in the evenings after his office hours and had chai along with bakery biscuits. It was so much fun! Although both of us prefer chai with all the spices and without milk, we love tea in general. I especially love making tea for dad. Now that we are working from home, we end up talking about life, work, technology, and anything interesting over our evening cuppa. It's become our little ritual.
Rahajyoti Mondal, Graphic Designer
"Baba, you have given me the best things in life: your time, your care, and your love. Although time and distance may separate us, your guidance, advice, and love have stuck with me through it all. I would not be who I am today without you. And I always feel very proud to be a soldier's daughter. Cannot wait to share a cup of tea with you once we are both at home again!"
Soosh has created these adorable illustrations that eloquently capture the father-daughter bond. Head over to Instagram and check out the artist's website.