“Mahadev
Masala Chia (Chai)”
(Story)
Mahadev – great
god or lord - another name for Lord Shiva. But our Mahadev, my
granny’s personal tailor, had looks and a demeanor that belied his name. 
He was a soft
spoken, small, wizened little fellow with a heart of gold and strange
bluish-opaque eyes. He always seemed to be in a state of euphoria.
Later I
discovered it was his many long visits to the Naga hills that turned his
brown eyes blue! Bhang, (the Hindi name for the hemp plant, which causes a
high similar to that of marijuana, although much milder) is what he went
seeking among his Naga friends.
When he was his
normal self, or should I say not his normal self, he became
the Master tailor that he was. All one had to do was show him a picture,
not a pattern mind you, from one of the Swinging 60’s magazines and,
voila! he would produce an exact replica.
My grandmother
let him live in a shack in the far corner of the garden behind her
cottage. His Singer sewing machine and tailoring paraphernalia were
installed in the far corner of the back verandah. My grandmother kept an
eye, lest Mahadev should decide to pawn off the sewing machine to buy more
Bhang.
My grandmother
controlled his wages. One time I felt sorry for him and gave him some of
my own money. The man disappeared. My dress sat in his machine,
incomplete for days on end.
When Mahadev
returned, my grandmother’s wrath just bounced right off him. He ambled
down to his shack, brewed himself a glass of masala tea, ambled back to
his corner of the verandah, picked up the sewing project where he left
off - and in no time he had the dress ready and waiting for me to try on.
