Relic of the past

CCD, Costa Coffee and even Starbucks are all new kids on the block. But the old stalwart, who actually ushered in the style of coffee drinking in India, where debates and conversations ruled the aroma of coffee is undoubtedly the Indian Coffee House.

It is a relic of the olden days, having its roots during the British era. The first Indian Coffee House came up in 1936 in Churchgate, Mumbai. It was a runaway success and this prompted the opening of 72 outlets across India. These were set up the Indian Coffee Board which set up shop in prime locations – closer to colleges, offices and stations. But in the 1950s the charm of this coffee started going tepid and on the verge of closure, the Board handed over the control to the Indian Coffee Workers’ Co Operative Society. Today, these coffee houses are owned by the workers, with Kerela alone dotting 51 outlets.

The uniqueness about this chain is that unlike the new generation CCD or Costa or Starbucks, where each shop looks like the other with identical décor and menu, no India Coffee House is the same. The omly thing common between all of them – they are all run down, operating out of old decrepit buildings and sport the ceiling fans of an era gone by. The price of the coffee is also seemingly of the olden times vis-à-vis the new gen coffee shops – here regular coffee is at Rs.29 and special coffee at Rs.32.

During those times, Indian Coffee House was the place where the intelligentsia gathered and spoke, fought and debated over all pressing issues. In fact during the Emergency, the Govt ordered closure of these coffee houses as the Govt feared these gatherings were spreading sedition and scandals.

These are a part of our heritage, like the Irani shops which too have all but vanished. Hope the workers keep the shops running and help preserve this piece of history of India. And we fervently hope even if a corporate house takes over the chain, it keeps the unique identity of each intact.