Tea Stall by the road
We stopped by a roadside tea stall set up by a grey-haired man. He was sitting comfortably in a chair. There was no customer at the moment. Two of us were wandering near a village at the outskirts of the city of Maihar. As we reached the shop and asked for the tea, uncle got up and moved to start the stove to heat it. The stove-cylinder setup is probably just for making the tea. There were no other utensils to cook Maggi etc. He was holding a lighted bidi on another hand. Soon he served us tea in glasses.
It is 7'O clock in the evening. The day was long and the temperature touched 45 degrees a few hours ago. People do not come out of their houses during the day. It would seem like an abandoned place. Roads would be empty, houses closed. The black tar road in the front is now releasing the trapped heat into the air. Across the road, there are kachcha houses and village people are sitting in the front of their verandah. This may be the best part of the day to socialize. Sun starts working from early hours. It's the month of May. Sun is still rising towards the north in the coming days. This place lies in the center of India.
The old man would sit for another hour before closing the shop. At the cart, there are Gutkha items, cigarettes & bidi to sell. He also sells junk food items like chips and biscuits. It's a low-budget business. It also keeps him busy.
Kaka sits on a chair throughout the day. He is thin and a bit muscular as he used to work in the field. There is a water container nearby. It is covered with a jute cloth which is kept wet throughout the day. It keeps the water inside cool. The shop is outside his own house situated on the national highway. Most customers are from the village. On some days, passing by customers are more. It is still a single-lane road, connecting Maihar with its district place - Satna. We keep hearing news that it will be widened in the coming days.
The floor was clean & the kachcha house was painted with blue chalk in the front. As we sipped the tea, 'prince', old man's grandson came out of the house and sat on the bench watching the highway, singing a song in a low voice...
Comments
Post a Comment