The tea stall in this Chirag Delhi village lies close to Shiv Mandir, the area’s signature landmark, and across the road from a centuries-old stone gateway.
It is astonishing that a small place like this can trigger such a plethora of sentiments. First, you notice the couple behind the counter. They are utterly silent, yet seem to be chatting animatedly with each other with their eyes.
Ram Prakash agrees that his stall’s name is a popular form of greeting, but there’s another logic behind it.
Then you notice metal bowls hanging by plastic chords from the stall’s roof. These containers are filled with sprigs of ginger. Then you see a dainty chai kettle hanging in a similar fashion. And finally you notice the dozens of earthen kulhar (earthen) cups stacked up on the counter.
The tea stall in this Chirag Delhi village lies close to Shiv Mandir, the area’s signature landmark, and across the road from a centuries-old stone gateway.
The stall is situated so discreetly that it isn’t easily noticeable. But once sighted, it is difficult not to glance at it repeatedly. The charm of the place is infectious, and even if you are not craving for chai, you may want to greet the seemingly friendly couple with a ‘Ram-Ram’. For, this is the name of the stall.
Ram Prakash agrees that his stall’s name is a popular form of greeting, but there’s another logic behind it. “We are from Ayodhya, the place of Bhagwan Ram, so we named it Ram-Ram.” He stresses that out of reverence towards God, the full name painted on the stall is Ram Ram ‘Ji’.
“Shanti Devi and I started our stall five years ago,” informs Ram Prakash. Hearing her name, his wife instinctively adjusts the pallu of her sari on her head. On receiving a request for chai, the tea man picks up a pair of metallic mortar and pestle, and quietly starts grinding a piece of ginger to add to the boiling chai. A person’s life has many phases, he remarks a few moments later.
“I used to be a (house) painter.” A bike accident disrupted his world. “One of my legs no longer works, and my wife doesn’t have one leg… We thought a chai stall might help us raise our son and (two) daughters.”
By now the tea is ready. It is delicious and frothy, and the hot weather fails to dampen its invigorating effect, as though it had woken someone up from a deep slumber.
The stall also serves lassi (sweet buttermilk), and is open daily from 8 am till 8 pm.
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