Kaapi and Blessings on the Girivalam at Arunachala - An intro to one of the short stories to come up in my to-be-published book - "Strong Filter Coffee - Short Stories from South India"

The morning after Purnima was thick with strong coffee and residual dust dampened by the rain at Kuppusami’s ‘Kaapi Kadai’ near Sri Ramanasram. Kasipati, pulling his empty banana cart to a halt, greeted Kuppusami with a nod. “Need your very strong philtarr kaapi, Anna. I need it desperately.”

Kuppusami, wiping the counter of his Kaapi Kadai, nodded slowly, the steam rising. “Like a river of people, wasn’t it, on the Girivalam? All night long.”

Kasipati took a deliberate, grateful sip, blowing over the rim. “A flood, Anna! Three times I ran back for stock. The last bunch of bananas was gone before midnight. Then, I had my own walk, did the entire parikrama, you see? All eight lingams, Adi Annamalai... the whole circuit. The peace afterwards at the main Annamalai temple, unforgettable.”

Image generated with Gemini AI - 2 November 2025

Kuppusami chuckled, setting down a tiny tumbler. “My wife, the girl, we were all working together till three AM. Could not shut the Kadai with that many pilgrims queued up for kaapi.” He looked out at the sacred mountain, a silhouette against the rising sun. “It’s entirely the grace of the holy Arunachala, isn’t it? How else do two old roadside businesses like ours survive the lean times, only to thrive in the blessings of Mahadeva himself?”

Kasipati smiled, finished his coffee, and placed the tumbler down with a soft click. “Only by His grace, Anna. Only by His grace.”

[Kaapi and Blessings on the Girivalam at Arunachala - An intro to one of the short stories to come up in my to-be-published book - "Strong Filter Coffee - Short Stories from South India"]

Bharat Bhushan 

2 November 2025