A cup of history: Kolkata pandal rewrites tea’s story

Artist Pradip Das and a team of 30–35 art students have painted the pandal’s walls to narrate this evolution: from Maniram Dewan’s introduction of tea planting in Assam and the exploitation of plantation labourers, to today’s chai startups such as Chai Point, Chaayos and MBA Chaiwala that recast a humble cup as a modern business opportunity.

Artist Pradip Das and a team of 30–35 art students have painted the pandal’s walls to narrate this evolution. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

At the entrance visitors are greeted by a striking fighter-jet installation recalling, recalling a lesser known wartime story, during the Second World War, the Royal Air Force dropped sealed tea canisters from planes to soldiers fighting in the jungles of Burma, keeping their spirits alive. Inside, the theme broadens to show how tea has also been a backdrop for power and politics.

Hand painted murals depict conversations at tea tables, whether between dictators like Hitler, Mussolini or leaders like Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, reminding visitors that revolutions, negotiations, and even wars have often been stirred over a cup of chai.

The pandal also embraces tea’s role in popular culture. A massive hand-drawn panel recreates the iconic “Wah Taj” advertisement, showing tabla maestro Zakir Hussain in his unforgettable performance. Portraits of renowned actors sipping tea line the walls, alongside a playful sketch of Dolly Chaiwala serving tea to Bill Gates, blending humour with contemporary references.

Nostalgia is woven in through posters of legendary brands like Brooke Bond, Assam Tea, and Lipton, each a reminder of how tea has been marketed and consumed across generations.

Structurally, the pandal is built with clay pillars, all hand-painted to reflect rural artistry. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

Structurally, the pandal is built with clay pillars, all hand-painted to reflect rural artistry. Thanka style paintings add a spiritual and cultural depth, tying tea to traditions of patience and resilience. For the artists, mostly students, this project is more than just decoration, it is a canvas.

“Our aim was to show how one simple drink carries so many stories of workers, wars, entrepreneurs, and even advertisements. Tea is both survival and style,” said Rajat Roy, one of the lead artists behind the pandal. “We wanted visitors to walk in and feel that every sip of chai has a past and a future,” he further added.

(Anisha Ghosh is an intern at the Kolkata office of The Indian Express)