Guru of Chai

Just a short review…

I am not a good storyteller, and thus always admire those who can draw audiences when they tell a story, engaging people with what they speak. And Jacob Rajan is such, as the “guru of chai” in this production, with David Ward as the musician.

He tells a story of how a tea (chai) seller’s encounter with a girl abandoned at a train station, and who sings most beautifully, charts the life he would have. A policeman falls for her, but she chooses a poet. Her choice sparks a series of events affecting all around, that leads to tragedies.

I had gone to the show, expecting lots of laughter (which manifested in some of the audience), but I found it hard to laugh a lot myself because behind the jokes made, therein lies poignant words of wisdom and of life’s lesson. And then again, the story wasn’t exactly a happy one. What was interesting was the use of some magic tricks as he told the story, conjuring items out of nowhere, transforming objects to other things.

One particular quote stood out for me: