Indian Coffee House : The place which brews nostalgia

Have you ever thought of a place where time stands still, a place which takes us back to the past... Well, ICH is one such place. It is infact a time machine for me. Every time I step into ICH,  I feel like I'm going back in time. Whether it be the  furnitures, the menu,  the white coffee cups and plates, the steel cutlery, the ice creams served in the steel bowls, everything reminds me of a vintage era.

ICHs were (still are) the place where great intellects met to discuss politics, literature, cinema, music and what not. The walls of ICH would've witnessed the birth of many love stories, literary master pieces, political debates etc.

The birth of the coffee houses dates back to 18th century in Madras and Calcutta. As India was under the British rule, the native Indians were not allowed into these coffee houses. During those times, Coffee houses were mostly European establishments. It was during the late 1890's, the Idea of "India Coffee House" was formed. 

This was formed by the Coffee Cess Committee of British India and the first outlet was opened in Churchgate, Bombay in 1936, which was named as "India Coffee House" and was operated by Indian Coffee Board. By 1940's there were almost 50 outlets of coffee houses throughout the British India. During the India - Pakistan partition after the independence, some of the outlets of the Indian Coffee Houses were inherited by Pakistan in its major cities.

By the mid of 1950's due to change in certain policies in the independent India, the Coffee Board decided to close down all the Coffee Houses. During this period, under the leadership of the great communist leader AK Gopalan (AKG), the workers of the coffee board began a movement and compelled the coffee board to handover the outlets to the workers. Later, they formed the Indian Coffee Workers' cooperative society and renamed the chain of restaurants as "Indian Coffee House".

The first Co-operative was formed in Bangalore on 19th August 1957. Later on, many Co-operatives were formed in different parts of the country. At present, there are 13 Co-operatives and almost 400 outlets throughout the country among which the latest co-operative was formed in Jabalpur during 2018.

All these Co-operatives are governed by the managing committees selected from the employees and the societies are affiliated under the All India Coffee Workers' Societies Federation which was established on 17th December 1960.

Over the time, ICHs have grown in number throughout the nation. The vibe inside an ICH cannot be experienced at Starbucks or Cafè Coffee Day.

 This is a place where even the time stands still. And the peace of mind that one experiences amidst all the chaos inside an ICH cannot be put into words. 

It's a gem of a place which is loved by the mass and the class and never fails to satisfy it's customers. 

The place which brews nostalgia will continue to foster the intellects and the common people with whole heart and will pass on its legacy and charisma through the years to come.

Long live ICH ❤️

Pic credits : Pinterest