Of Soap-Bubbles And Tea-Sets

This goes a long, long way back. Back when I was a little girl…….and that’s almost three and a half decades ago.

My childhood was a happy one. Playing ‘house’, or ‘ghar-ghar’ as we called it, took up most of our free time. There were dolls, doll-houses, doctor-sets, kitchen-sets, soap bubbles and then……there was the tea-set! My favourite toy was the tea-set. Miniature cups, saucers, a little milk-jug, a tiny sugar-pot and a pretty kettle with a lid that came lose. It was as real as it could get. Filling up the kettle with water (drinkable!) and pretending to sip ‘tea’ from the cups was an engaging pastime. On some days mummy was generous enough to part with a teaspoon of sugar. It filled up our sugar-pot and the entire tea-drinking ritual would feel a step closer to the ‘real-thing’! I loved tea-sets. I had them all…..in wood, in clay, in steel, in plastic! And then one day I became the proud owner of a beautiful mud-brown ceramic tea-set. It was the best I’d had until now. The most delicate, the most fragile object I had possessed so far. I say ‘object’ because calling it a ‘toy’ would be most disrespectful!! Not the kind of porcelain you’d imagine, but precious nevertheless! It was bought from a vendor selling toys by the banks of River Ganga on a family visit to Haridwar. At that moment I couldn’t have loved my parents more for buying me that beauty! I was ecstatic. 🙂

Over a period of time (and extensive usage) my ceramic tea-set started falling apart. Each time a saucer chipped or a cup broke, my heart would break too. The final blow came when the kettle came crashing down and (surprisingly) broke into two neat pieces. Tears followed…..lots of them! Papa joined it with Aral-dite but it was never the same. A possibly poisonous adhesive meant we couldn’t fill it with water, and drinking from it was strictly prohibited. Where was the fun in that? Alas! It was the end of all happy times with my mud-brown ceramic tea-set! 😦

Then one day, some relatives came visiting. And because we stayed in Dehradun it was our duty to take them sight-seeing all around. Haridwar was almost always on the itinerary! Yes, a visit to Haridwar happened, and thus I acquired a brand-new ceramic tea-set! 🙂

Life went on. I outgrew my dolls, kitchen-sets and doctor sets. But my fascination for two things remained – soap-bubbles & tea-sets! Every little girl I knew, had been gifted a tea-set by me. Don’t know whether they liked it or not, but as far as I was concerned, it was the best gift ever! And if they didn’t want it…..I’d keep it…..happily!! 🙂

Earlier this year I happened to visit the Surajkund Mela (an annual arts & crafts fair held near Delhi) with my friends. Artisans from all over the country congregate here to sell their merchandise. A variety of textiles, woven baskets in jute and straw, traditional paintings, hand-made terracotta jewellery, leather lamp-shades and an assortment of handicrafts adorn the hundreds of stalls here. Walking through the aisles of this ‘mela’ I happened to come across a huge pile of multi-hued pottery. Pots & pans, vases & planters, soap-dishes & tumblers, cups & mugs…..they had it all. And nestled there at the base of this humongous pile of pottery was my……miniature ceramic tea-set!!!! The industry had sure gotten better these last few years, for this tea-set was more colourful, and far superior in quality & finish! In that one moment I knew that I wanted it! But what can justify a grown up woman (just turned forty!) wanting a miniature tea-set……for herself?!! For this very reason I wish I had a daughter. I mean I could always say it’s for her, couldn’t I? Irrespective….I wanted it!! 🙂

I had to rack my brains as to how I would justify buying this miniature tea-set. Having found it again I couldn’t have let it go. NO! So what am I to do with it? Surely I can’t play ‘ghar-ghar’ any more! But it’s not just a miniature ceramic tea-set…..it’s a part of my childhood, a part of my life!! I had to have it! And so I brought it home 🙂

My miniature ceramic tea-set has found a place at home! I have managed to incorporate it into my present day life. It is part of my serving-tray decor. The kettle holds neatly-folded serviettes, the milk-jug I use as a toothpick holder and the cups and saucers carry chutneys, dips and sauces……all this alongside a tray laden with snacks for when I have guests over for a drink and/or a meal 🙂

But it’s not over for me yet! I have some more thinking to do. I mentioned another childhood passion that stayed with me, didn’t I? So any suggestions as to how I could continue blowing soap bubbles at age forty without being stared at?? 🙂