Rising milk prices splits Amdavadi cutting tea into two

AHMEDABAD: "Be cutting chaa aava deje!" is what Ahmedabad's kittli owners used to hear while taking orders from customers. However, rising prices of milk and tea leaves and fluctuating prices of sugar have literally split this half-a-cup tea Amdavadis used to have ever since kittlis came into existence.
For the last three-four months, kittli owners have introduced 'Bhaag' which is half of the half-cup of tea.When asked, kittli owners said that 'Bhaag' has been introduced due to the changing habits of tea lovers.
Anwar Hussein, who runs a kittli in Shahpur area, says, "From the past few months, our customers, who used to order half-a-cup of tea per head, have started sharing this half between two people as the prices of cutting tea have gone up. So, we decided to add 'Bhaag' in our menu, which is half of the half cup of tea. Its price is also half of a cutting tea." Hussein's daily sales used to be around 1,500 cuttings, which has now almost doubled as those half cups have split into 'Bhaags'.
A year ago, a cutting tea used to cost around Rs 5, which has now risen to Rs 7-8 per cutting. Now, a 'Bhaag' tea costs Rs 3 to 4 per cup. Kittli owners say that they had to increase the prices as milk and sugar prices have gone up.
Javed Shaikh, an executive in a local firm, says, "I need at least 10 cups of cutting tea every day. A year ago, I used to spend around Rs 50 on tea a day. Now, my spending has almost doubled because the prices of half-a-cup-tea have gone up considerably."
He adds that in order to maintain his daily budget, he started sharing his cup of tea with his friends. "Introduction of 'Bhaag' is a welcome move because I had to ask for a saucer or an empty cup earlier, which I don't need now," Shaikh adds.