'Chamiers' has moved after nearly seven long eventful years. It is most definitely thanks to our customers that our store has turned out so special. I am deeply touched by the number of people telling me over the last couple of months, how many happy and sentimental memories they associate with this place. While it is indeed quite sad to leave a space we have all become so fond of, life is dynamic. We all have to move on and look forward to new experiences in new spaces.
I, for one, am all for change... It helps you never to get complacent or take your life's situation for granted. Change should always be perceived as positive. If taken in the right perspective, it indicates growth and evolution. Infact, our new space has turned out just as cosy and nice, infact more airy and spacious as expressed by many of our customers and we hope over the years our ambience would turn out just as special.
Our outdoor cafe has now been elevated to the terrace. Its an airconditioned, enclosed space saving us from the vagaries of the weather. What we may miss are our amusing little squirrel friends throwing badam nuts at customers and the yowling cats and their kittens happily running in and out of our customers' tables as though it was their rightful playground. I remember one instance when one of our resident squirrels, much to our embarrassment, happily munched through a whole French loaf of one of our regular customers who had just bought some bread from the shop. She, too, was most indulgent and let the squirrel have its fill and wouldn’t hear of us replacing the French loaf ! They certainly provided great entertainment to many and it's sad to bid goodbye to them. Ofcourse, the advantage in the new cafe is that, when it rains, nobody has to run for cover and huddle in the little verandah almost sitting on each others’ laps ! As for squirrels and cats, they will doubtless find some way of crossing the street.
Another cozy experience we may miss is sitting in the semi-circular verandah, listening to the sound of the rain, wetting the greens and making them look so lush, while sipping on a hot cup of cappuccino. Somehow in the busy road that we have been on, neither the constant traffic noise nor the hustle and bustle of everyday life ever really bothered us all these years. 'Chamiers' became a quiet, cool oasis for both our patrons and our staff. Thanks to the huge Badam tree that effectively cut down the heat, our cafe always saw a reasonable crowd even in the peak of summer with the mercury soaring to 40+ degrees. I am sure we will maintain the cool oasis in the new setting as well.
We also hope to carry on with our events in 'Full Circle', our bookshop which has pride of place next to Anokhi on the ground floor. We will continue to put together events which cover a wide range of topics and appeal to different cross-sections of people. 'Full Circle' too sports a different look- the terrcotta flooring is being replaced by Kota stone and the semi-circular space which followed the shape of the verandah downstairs will give way to a more rectangular area. The walls in mustard and display units in blue and green are more colourful adding to the cheery look of the book-section.
Well... It's time to move on people.... We look forward to creating new experiences in a new ambience with all your help and enthusiastic participation.
