Women at the crossroads: Desire and duty in The Chai Queens

The Chai Queens, a play, recently presented at The Creative Arts Academy, intricately weaves a narrative of love, yearning, camaraderie, desire, envy, and the profound, often unspoken sacrifices women make for family, culture, and their own survival. Like a slowly brewed cup of chai, some affections steep in unspoken moments, poured in secret, and savoured in quiet.

Against the vibrant backdrop of an extravagant Indian wedding's music and rituals, childhood best friends Babli and Tejal reconnect after fifteen years. Babli, now a wife and mother, navigates the ingrained patterns of tradition, constrained by expectations she has never challenged. Tejal, a spirit driven by wanderlust, returns home to discover that some distances stubbornly persist.

Yet, amidst the shimmering silks and the soft glow of oil lamps, an unspoken truth begins to surface. A lingering touch. A glance heavy with the weight of years. The phantom of an unnamed love now presses against the present reality.

As the three-day and three-night wedding festivities unfold, Babli and Tejal find solace in stolen moments over chai. Their hands brush across shared cups, warmth seeps into chilled fingers, and words dissolve into the rising steam. Past, present, and future collide. Desire clashes with obligation, and longing grapples with loss. In a world that offered them no space, can they forge their own?

Or will they, once more, choose to walk away, leaving behind not only each other but also the essential part of themselves that only the other truly understood?

Directed by Ramanjit Kaur and featuring Taranjit Kaur and Archana Patel in leading roles, "The Chai Queens" drew from Taranjit Kaur's original storyline and incorporated excerpts from Vikrant Dhote's script "So Far," along with contributions from Taranjit Kaur, Archana Patel, and Ramanjit Kaur. The play's evocative music is designed by Pt. Tanmoy Bose, with Ruhani Singh serving as Production Director.