"Chota Hazry" or Chhoti Haziri, translated as 'little breakfast', was a phrase much in vogue in the old Indian Army, but it is rarely used now.

It signified as the refreshment taken in the early morning, before or after the morning exercise. The phrase is derived from the word 'haziri' or muster and 'hazir' or present.

The phrase was originally peculiar to the Bengal Presidency. In Madras, it was called 'early tea'. Among the Dutch in Java, this meal consisted of a large cup of tea and a large piece of cheese, presented by the person (usually the orderly) who calls one in the morning.

EXAMPLE: 1866 - "There is one small meal ... it is that commonly known in India by the Hindustani name of chota haziri, and in our English colonies as 'Early Tea' ..."Waring, Tropical Resident, 172.

When I had joined the Indian Army, the phrase was still in use; I remember we had to purchase a "chota hazry set" for our morning tea and biscuit. The phrase is no longer in vogue, having been replaced by the more prosaic 'bed tea', which more often than not comes in a mug!