Gurugramwale: Triveni’s tea

A chai stall under an extraordinary tree

All tea stalls are special in their own eclectic ways. But Baba Dada tea stall on Gurugram’s Gurudwara Road is more special than many others. It’s the location. The stall stands under a unique tree. The leafy haven appears to be neem “but it is a Triveni, a combination of three trees—neem, bargad and peepal,” declares tea vendor Devendra Kumar, explaining that all three trees share the same trunk.

Baba Dada tea stall operates under a tree on Gurugram’s Gurudwara Road (HT Photo)

This sounds unrealistic. The eager vendor promptly shows the peepal and bargad leaves entangled with that of the neem, whose leaves, though, are in greater number.

“According to the Shastras, such a tree is home to Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh,” mutters Mr Kumar, referring to the Hindu trinity responsible for creating, preserving and destroying the world.

The Baba Dada tea stall was founded at this spot about 20 years ago. It takes its unusual name from two brothers. With his kind temperament, Mr Singh came to be known affectionately as ‘baba’ by his regular customers. His younger sibling Vijender was bossy and consequently nicknamed ‘Dada’. Vijender died a decade ago.

The Triveni tree is the stall’s highlight, but the chai is decent, too. A shabby plastic chair adds to the charm.

The stall opens daily from 8.30am to 6.30pm daily, Sunday is closed.