The vintage tea sets of 1980s
NANNY
My mother hands me a box in which sits a bone china teapot, sugar bowl and creamer with six cups and saucers, all in a dull pink with a gold rim. It was a wedding gift to my parents from my father’s friend.
It’s a little over 50 years old but has kept so well. What nice presents tea sets make, I think. Are they still a popular gift at weddings? I don’t recall getting one at my own. “You gifted me a tea set,” says a friend, and I am happy to hear it’s still in use.
In the Museum of Material Memory, a digital repository of material culture of India, its founder and oral historian, Aanchal Malhotra, writes about Hitkari, a homegrown brand that changed the Indian market for teaware. “Found in nearly every china cabinet in India, Hitkari Pottery began to appear in the trousseau of young brides—the delicate pink and white flowers on pristine teacups and saucers reserved for grand occasions only,” she writes.
The idea of British-style afternoon tea popularised tea sets. Bone china itself was a British invention and remained exclusively British well until the 20th century. It’s non-porosity suited tea as it helps retain flavour. Brands like Spode, Wedgwood, Royal Doulton, Aynsley were the ones to seek. Japan was the first country outside England to start bone china production with Noritake. In India, Bengal Potteries (closed) started in 1964 and was followed by Hitkari (still around).
The Hitkari story is captured in marvellous detail by Malhotra. The story goes that Krishan Kapoor, who started Hitkari, trained in pottery in Japan. On his return, he raised ₹1.5 lakh to start the factory in Faridabad in 1966.
The 1980s were the best of times for bone china teaware in India. There’s a 1988 India Today story about a new range of bone china in India that emulates the English “in design, shine and shape”. The hallmark of quality is the “feel of the lip on the cup is smooth and the clink of the cup on the saucer is sharp”. There was demand from abroad too. Hitkari was exporting to Canada, Australia, the Netherlands and the US. There was some aggressive marketing at play, urging people to choose a different set for a different occasion. For instance, a light floral cup was recommended for a morning liquor tea. It turned many of our parents into ardent collectors.
In a story in the digital magazine Tea Journey, caterer and writer Rhea Dalal writes about her mother and aunt who often visited antique stores and weekly markets in Kolkata in search of tea ware. Dalal has inherited the collection along with a love of tea.
I don’t know how much variety tea offered in the 1980s but tea ware did not disappoint. If you own or have inherited any tea ware from that time, do bring it out of the woodwork. If you’d like to know more about it, look for the seal on the underside and then google it. It may yet surprise you with a little story all its own.
Tea Nanny is a fortnightly series on the world of tea. Aravinda Anantharaman is a Bengaluru-based tea blogger and writer who reports on the tea industry. She posts @AravindaAnanth1 on Twitter.