Before the streets of Srinagar begin to stir, Dal Lake is already awake.
A thin layer of mist rests over the water. The mountains stand quietly in the distance. Then comes the gentle sound of a wooden paddle touching the lake.
A Shikara appears.
Long, slender and beautifully shaped, the Shikara has been part of life on Kashmir’s lakes for generations. For the communities around Dal Lake, these wooden boats became much more than transportation. They were floating shops, delivery boats and moving marketplaces connecting homes, houseboats, traders and visitors.
And among the things travelling across the water was something deeply connected to Kashmiri hospitality:
Tea.
When the lake was the street
For people living around Dal Lake, the water was the road.
There were no delivery vans crossing the lake. Goods travelled by boat.
Shikaras carried everyday necessities between markets, homes and houseboats. Tea and its ingredients travelled alongside spices, bread, vegetables and flowers.
But tea was different.
Tea wasn’t simply something to sell.
Tea meant welcome.
Tea meant warmth.
Tea meant conversation.
And so the Shikara became part of the journey of tea.
The original floating tea shop
Imagine an early morning on Dal Lake.
A small Shikara moves quietly towards the houseboats. On board are tea, kettles, cups, spices and perhaps something small to eat.
The seller doesn’t have a café.
His Shikara is his café.
He paddles directly to where his customers are.
A guest on a houseboat can enjoy tea without ever stepping onto the shore. Travellers crossing the lake can meet vendors from another Shikara. Around the floating markets and waterways, buying, selling and drinking tea become part of everyday life.
The shop has no fixed address.
It moves with the water.
In many ways, it was street food before there was a street.
Two teas. Two Kashmiri traditions.
Kashmir developed remarkable tea traditions of its own.
The aromatic side of Kashmir
Kahwa
Fragrant tea traditionally associated with spices such as cardamom and cinnamon, often enriched with saffron and almonds.
Belongs naturally to moments of hospitality and gathering.
Kashmir’s unmistakable pink tea
Noon Chai
Traditionally prepared with milk and salt and deeply connected with everyday life.
Feels like home.
Both carry something larger than flavour:
a culture of sharing tea.
And for generations, the Shikara helped carry that culture across the water.
From Shikara to CHAIIBAGS
Times change.
The kettle changes.
The cup changes.
The place changes.
But the ritual doesn’t have to.
This is where our story continues.
SHIKARA is where the journey began.
CHAIIBAGS is how we carry it forward.
The old Shikara carried tea across Dal Lake.
Our CHAIIBAGS carry that same idea into today’s world: tea made to travel, to be discovered, shared and enjoyed wherever people meet.
Even the name tells the story.
CHAIIBAGSTogetherA contemporary name inspired by a very old idea:
Take great tea with you.
The journey continues
There is something beautifully simple about the old tea sellers of Dal Lake.
They didn’t wait for people to find them.
They brought the tea to the people.
- Across the lake.
- Along the houseboats.
- Through the floating markets.
- From one conversation to the next.
That spirit is at the heart of SHIKARA & CHAIIBAGS.
One represents the vessel.
The other represents what we carry.
SHIKARA carries the story.
CHAIIBAGS carries the tea.
From the waters of Kashmir to the streets of today, the journey continues.