Chit, Chaat, Chai: an afternoon tea reimagined for Holi
'The flavors are Indian but the presentation is more Westernized,' Rawat said.
Celebrated across South Asia on the last full moon day of the Hindu calendar, the holiday fell on March 14 this year and on March 15, Kahani launched the special tea service, which is available each Saturday through April 19.
Holi's origins come from Hindu mythology that recognizes the eternal love between deities Krishna and Radha. It is celebrated with music, dancing and throwing colorful powder at each other in good fun, a gesture that references the vivid colors of spring.
'Holi is a holiday that happens in the beginning of spring and since spring is colorful, you see colors everywhere,' said Rawat. 'It is a new beginning for a brighter future.'
In a nod to the colorful tradition, the Chit, Chaat, Chai plates are rimmed with splashes of hot pink, purple, yellow, green and blue; and guests can choose from an assortment of three masala chais. Cardamon ginger is the most traditional of the trio, flavored with peppery ginger, along with the warm spices of cardamom, nutmeg and bay leaf. Honey and clove is a milder tea with a touch of sweetness, while the basil and mint tea is the lightest.
The afternoon tea service also includes an array of sweet and savory tea sandwiches and bites. In place of crustless cucumber sandwiches and petit fours, Rawat incorporates South East Asian ingredients on the menu.
'This is all inspired by street food that is very popular in Mumbai, the Western part of India,' Rawat said.
A lobster roll is curried and topped with Kaluga caviar. Bread Pakoda is made with arugula, fig jam and paneer, a popular cheese in India. Chutney tea sandwiches are layered with mint cream, amul cheese, chili aioli and onion bhaji. Fritters comprised of spicy vegetables and onion pack a little heat that can be cooled by dunking them into the yogurt ranch dressing served on the side.
For sweets, scones inspired by gajar ka halwa, a traditional North Indian corn pudding, are served with pistachio-studded rabdi cream. A pleasing take on the traditional clotted cream usually served with scones, rabdi cream is made the same way — by heating full fat milk and then cooling it until clots rise — but flavored with cardamoms, saffron, rose water or nuts.
Kahani, which translate to 'story' in Hindi, opened in 2023 and has become a place where Rawat can share his own story through his dishes influenced by being born in Uttarakhand, India, growing up in New Delhi and earning his culinary degree in Malaysia. With Chit, Chaat, Chai, Rawat adds a new chapter.
'I hope people come and enjoy,' he said.
Reserve a seat at Chit, Chaat, Chai by visiting ritzcarlton.com.
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Toasting the god of destruction and renewal, these Hindu pilgrims party hard. Not everyone is thrilled.
Buckets of holy water slung over their shoulders, millions of Hindu devotees have been walking for days. The water, scooped up from the holy river Ganges, is destined for the pilgrims' local temples. And the precious cargo must be treated delicately: spilling a single drop, or touching another person before reaching their hometown, would cancel out the devotional deed. Breaking up the wearying journey, devotees gather for outbreaks of extravagant revelry – ground-shaking music and dancing fueled by devotion, ganja and alcohol, as befits in their eyes Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction and renewal, to whom the festival is dedicated. This is the Kanwar Yatra festival, which draws tens of millions onto northern India's roads each year. It's gotten louder and rowdier in recent years – and increasingly bound up with the Hindu-nationalist politics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Inside a tent along the route, the air was thick with marijuana and music. 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'These kanwars behave like they are the owners of state and national highways, dancing on high-volume DJs, sometimes drunk and beating people. The police are often just watching and giving them a free hand,' he said. Yogi Adityanath, chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, appealed to devotees to participate in the pilgrimage responsibly. 'Some elements are working constantly to disrupt the faith and devotion of this pilgrimage,' he told a press conference. 'They're doing this through posts on social media and other ways. These elements are trying to defame the pilgrimage.' Another complaint is that social media has turned the festival into just another opportunity for self-promotion. 'Before social media no one was competing on the amount of water they were bringing back, the size of the DJ, how loud the music is, or the speed with which you are doing the pilgrimage,' Sandy N, an entrepreneur from Delhi, told CNN. 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Aarti Kumar, 21, a former bouncer, was on the way back to her hometown with her friends. She said they had walked 280 kilometers (175 miles) so far with the sacred cargo. 'We are looking forward to offering the holy water and completing the pilgrimage, we are awaiting it in anticipation and excitement that our hard work of so many days will pay off.' Pushkar Singh Dhami, chief minister of Uttarakhand, said the state witnessed an 'unprecedented confluence of faith and order,' with more than 45 million devotees visiting to take the sacred water of the Ganges. But each step can spell devotional disaster. If the holy water spills or falls to the ground, or if a devotee comes into physical contact with another person, then the water becomes impure and the ritual is forfeit. Kumar described seeing one man whose water had fallen. 'He broke down in tears and I cried looking at him,' she said. The water is meant to show thanks to god, or provide spiritual relief, including purifying the devotee's soul of sin. 'Devotees hold this water close to their heart and bring it back with such care and warmth. So it is heartbreaking when it falls and becomes impure.' The tension of the challenge, combined with the drugs and alcohol going about, can make for a combustible atmosphere around the devotees – who are almost all young men. The Kanwar Yatra passes through the northern states that form the bedrock of support for Modi's Hindu-nationalist government, which critics accuse of attacking the secular ideals enshrined in India's constitution. Recent pilgrimages have been marred by reports of violence against authorities, and tensions have risen when crowds pass through Muslim areas. This year, authorities in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh states, through which the Ganges runs, banned devotees from carrying the swords and tridents associated with Shiva, due to fears of violence. They also mandated that restaurants along the journey display the names and details of their owners via QR codes. Critics say displaying those details may encourage some observing the festival to boycott shops owned by those of another faith – an attack on the secularism enshrined in the constitution. On 14 July, local media reported, citing police, that a group of devotees had vandalized a restaurant in Meerapur, Uttar Pradesh, alleging that the owners, who were Muslims, had not displayed their identities as local authorities had mandated. Days earlier, a member of the state legislature, apparently took matters in his own hands. Video posted online allegedly showed him Nandkishor Gurjar shutting down a butcher's shop in the town of Loni. 'This is the (pilgrimage route),' the man was heard shouting in the video. 'Meat shops cannot open here.' Authorities are also unwilling to intervene when devotees run amok, said businessman Danish Khan. 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Devotees sipped bhang, a preparation of cannabis with milk and other fruits, and broke into dance. As monsoon rain poured outside, Pankaj, an auto-rickshaw driver from New Delhi who goes by one name, led the dancing. He said this was his 21st time performing the ritual. 'I always get lost in the city of Bhole Baba (Lord Shiva), like slipping into a trance,' he told CNN. 'He [Shiva] ensured we did the entire journey peacefully, dancing, praying and enjoying ourselves. He makes sure we are happy.' The bhang also helps, he said. The concoction is 'a religious offering,' he said. 'Bhang is something all devotees share with each other. We drink and also make others drink.' In Delhi, some of the millions of devotees could be seen, holy water balanced in pails, or containers hanging from each end of the kanwar pole that gives the festival its name. Along the roadway, trucks mounted with huge speakers played pounding religious music set to bass-heavy beats, making the ground tremble. Aarti Kumar, 21, a former bouncer, was on the way back to her hometown with her friends. She said they had walked 280 kilometers (175 miles) so far with the sacred cargo. 'We are looking forward to offering the holy water and completing the pilgrimage, we are awaiting it in anticipation and excitement that our hard work of so many days will pay off.' Pushkar Singh Dhami, chief minister of Uttarakhand, said the state witnessed an 'unprecedented confluence of faith and order,' with more than 45 million devotees visiting to take the sacred water of the Ganges. But each step can spell devotional disaster. If the holy water spills or falls to the ground, or if a devotee comes into physical contact with another person, then the water becomes impure and the ritual is forfeit. Kumar described seeing one man whose water had fallen. 'He broke down in tears and I cried looking at him,' she said. The water is meant to show thanks to god, or provide spiritual relief, including purifying the devotee's soul of sin. 'Devotees hold this water close to their heart and bring it back with such care and warmth. So it is heartbreaking when it falls and becomes impure.' The tension of the challenge, combined with the drugs and alcohol going about, can make for a combustible atmosphere around the devotees – who are almost all young men. The Kanwar Yatra passes through the northern states that form the bedrock of support for Modi's Hindu-nationalist government, which critics accuse of attacking the secular ideals enshrined in India's constitution. Recent pilgrimages have been marred by reports of violence against authorities, and tensions have risen when crowds pass through Muslim areas. This year, authorities in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh states, through which the Ganges runs, banned devotees from carrying the swords and tridents associated with Shiva, due to fears of violence. They also mandated that restaurants along the journey display the names and details of their owners via QR codes. Critics say displaying those details may encourage some observing the festival to boycott shops owned by those of another faith – an attack on the secularism enshrined in the constitution. On 14 July, local media reported, citing police, that a group of devotees had vandalized a restaurant in Meerapur, Uttar Pradesh, alleging that the owners, who were Muslims, had not displayed their identities as local authorities had mandated. Days earlier, a member of the state legislature, apparently took matters in his own hands. Video posted online allegedly showed him Nandkishor Gurjar shutting down a butcher's shop in the town of Loni. 'This is the (pilgrimage route),' the man was heard shouting in the video. 'Meat shops cannot open here.' Authorities are also unwilling to intervene when devotees run amok, said businessman Danish Khan. 'These kanwars behave like they are the owners of state and national highways, dancing on high-volume DJs, sometimes drunk and beating people. The police are often just watching and giving them a free hand,' he said. Yogi Adityanath, chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, appealed to devotees to participate in the pilgrimage responsibly. 'Some elements are working constantly to disrupt the faith and devotion of this pilgrimage,' he told a press conference. 'They're doing this through posts on social media and other ways. These elements are trying to defame the pilgrimage.' Another complaint is that social media has turned the festival into just another opportunity for self-promotion. 'Before social media no one was competing on the amount of water they were bringing back, the size of the DJ, how loud the music is, or the speed with which you are doing the pilgrimage,' Sandy N, an entrepreneur from Delhi, told CNN. 'Now everything has become a gimmick and it is being done irresponsibly,' the 50-year-old said. But for the majority, the journey is still a way to find peace. In one of the tents set up for the devotees in the capital, laborer Ankit Gupta put out plates and food in anticipation of the arrival of the next group of pilgrims. 'This is our devotion for Lord Shiva… Tomorrow it will come to an end,' he said ruefully. 'It is a break from the otherwise hectic lives we live to make ends meet.'
