#62 Annachi Kadai Rasna Packet

I’ve heard so much from my mom and others about Chennai’s weather. When I came here with my parents in 1999, I realized every bit of what I heard was true. The summer heat was unbearable and I was often amazed to see people in the city walking like it was nothing. And, the worst part was the weather remained unchanged for a good six to seven months.

We lived in an independent house and we beat the heat by sprinkling water on the terrace during evenings to wade off the heat and by keeping all the windows open for the entire night. We were always one step away from a power cut which could ruin our sleep for the entire night.

The only saving grace was the neighborhood ‘annachi kadai’ that sold rasna packets - flavored beverages sold in small plastic bags for a cheaper price. Back then everything right from drinking water to buttermilk was sold as packet versions. Whenever the weather becomes unbearable, my mom used to get 2 rupees to treat me with a rasna packet.

The annachi, who wore a white vest and a lungi almost every day, used to give me a rasna packet in return for that 2 rupees. I used to sit on the steps of the shop under the shade, bite off of the corners of the plastic packet, and sip the ice-cold drink. It used to momentarily transport me to a better place. Rasna packets were our go-to drink back then. It was the drink of daily laborers, traveling salesmen, kids who played cricket, fruit sellers, and middle-class households who can’t afford an air conditioner to cool themselves.

Things have changed a lot since then. But, nothing can beat the pleasure of biting off the piece of plastic and sipping the artificially flavored fruit juice that kept me and a bunch of middle-class people alive during the Chennai summer.