La copa de la Vida

"Basava..One special!

The 13 something round faced boy quickly responds to my call and appears before me with a glass. I coddle with the spirit in that glass, only to realize that its time to unwind myself. This spirit also manages to flabbergast the crowd flocked near the stall. It feels great to see everyone judiciously enjoy their drink under the sky with the sun on their shoulders. The taste is divine and comparing it with the office coffee making machine would be an insult.

Tea- Call it elating, exhilarating or intoxicating, is my favorite beverage. And this article is a tribute to the widow who runs a small Tea shack on a corner at Road number 12 in the plush Banjara Hills area- Hyderabad. Located about 200 meters away from my workplace building, this place can give you a food for thought. And hey, If you are a kind of stickler for hygiene, ingredients and the like, I strongly recommend you discard reading this article. All right so you don't..Ok read on.

I have always been amazed at the reorder stock level maintained by this woman who manages to serve the Tea to all the customers in a jiffy! The set up, like most ordinary roadside tea stall consists of a wooden bench and one oily stove. Of course they have a shade too ( sponsored by Tata Indicom!!). And not surprisingly you must stand and drink. Of course there is a cement platform laid by State Bank nearby. For people who have no patience to stand and sip, their bums will say a big thanks to this cement platform which can easily accommodate 10 people sitting in a row.

The woman is assisted by her only son named Basava( who also claims to be a Chiranjeevi Fan) and two little daughters( don't know the names) who are often spotted in school uniforms( thankfully). And Let me tell you guys, their eyes are a true depiction of hard work. Perhaps people accustomed to Cafe Cofee day or Barista culture may not notice that. For an unconventional thinker like me, this place stimulates my thoughts and gives me scope to derive a movie material out of that!

Because the regular crowd of this joint makes it very interesting. The crowd is my vivid recollection of Naya Nukkad serial that appeared on Doordarshan years ago! One among them is a mysterious 50 year old Junior Artist who stands 7 feet tall. You could see his jeans pocket stuffed with an English newspaper and a handkerchief tied around his neck. His pal is a tiny and puny traffic constable, whose tone can take many of us for a surprise. Yes, his tone is bellowing! This 5 foot cop doesn't cop-out yelling at auto rickshaw drivers and other heavy vehicles who unauthorizedly park their vehicles. They tremble in fear and make necessary adjustments to set things right.

The reason for our amusement is because his physical attribute and his tone just doesn't seem to match at all. This earned him a nickname from my fellows who fondly call him Bacchan saab!

We have a security guard of a never working SBI ATM nearby, who doesn't waste time performing his duties. He wakes up post his ever lasting siesta, only for his 4 pm tea. The sight of white, blue and collarless people give you the impression of an animated conversation. And a deeper insight would give you their attitude too. People who hold a cigarette in one hand and a glass in another will generally have the ID card worn around their neck. There is also an official, smartly dressed in branded clothes, walks towards the stall with a thermos flask in hand making me curious about his work profile! A group of 3 female tea drinkers can be found always sitting in their favorite corner. A waiter of the nearby Pizza Hut manages his tea and also finds time to call and chat with his girl friend.

The place will perhaps miss a regular magnanimous visitor in me. I have admired the dedicated enterprising team of this family of 4, and needless to say my creativity and urge to work hard has grown by leaps and bounds during my stint.

I now understand why the Tea tastes so good here!

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