Gulab ji chaiwala

-







There is hardly any traveller in India who did never relish a hot cup of tea in roadside tea stall. Chai is not only a common yet special drink , but also pretext of many interesting discussions. I have many memorable moments attached to roadside tea stalls. But I did never think that a tea stall owner would leave a mark in my mind.

I was preparing for my trip to Jaipur, the Pink city , when I came across an article on Gulab ji Chaiwala in newspaper. A 94 years old tea shop owner in Jaipur feeds 250 beggars every morning with hot tea and bread before starting business as usual. I noted the address and decided to visit the tea stall. The moment I landed Jaipur, I got lost in the glory of the city. I completed visiting Hawa Mahal, Jal Mahal, Amer Fort, City palace and Jantar mantar and was planning to visit Albert Hall Museum in the afternoon on the third day. I was checking the map and my eyes got stuck at the address of Gulab ji chaiwala which was not very far. I took a cab and reached the place.

It was a very small shop located at the backside of a commercial plaza. Customers were savoring glass of hot tea and snacks. I paid for a glass of tea and came to the delivery counter. Then I peeked inside the shop anticipating glimpses of Gulab ji. I asked the guy in the cash counter and got to know that Gulab ji will arrive in few minutes. The sun was setting and I was growing impatient. I finished my tea and was about to enquire the staff again. Then I saw an old man in impeccable white dhoti, white shirt and white topi walking towards the tea shop. He took a seat next to the guy in the cash counter.  The guy informed Gulab ji about me. I folded hands and said Namaste. I told him about the article on him. He smiled and mentioned few news channels interviewed him in recent years. He answered all my questions patiently. Gulab ji started this stall in 1947. The income was just enough to maintain his household. He did never think of growing his business to the next level. He feels grateful for the love and respect he received in all these years. Now he is the only living person left in his family. He feels every single day is a gift from the almighty. He opens his stall at 4:30 in the morning and pays gratitude to God by serving the beggars on the street. I asked him how he feels about India's growth since independence. He replied India has developed in many spheres over the years, but he feels concerned about the diminishing family bonding now-a-days. His staff clicked a picture of me with him. Finally I thanked him for his precious time and he asked me to visit again.




I felt a sense of contentment while leaving the place. This contentment was different from the happiness I felt while visiting the historic monuments. I read about many great people in books who used to believe in simple living and high thinking and their work was manifestation of their great values and love for all. I never met any of these legends. Gulab ji evoked that respect inside me. I witnessed epitome of peace and grace that day!


Comments

  1. Sanjeevani BoseNovember 13, 2019 at 1:55 PM

    Yes, I also have read about him,,today again have come to know about him with a heartfelt warmth.... Few people like Gulabji are still in society, who are living example of humanity. But what after them?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My connection with Maya Nagri

-
Image
Each of us has some favorite place to go where some strange comfort awaits us. It may be some place with childhood memories or some religious place or a remote place away from chaos of daily life. I feel that kind of connection with Mumbai - Maya Nagri (magical city) of India. I visited Mumbai in 2011 for official work. It was a 2 day trip. I landed Mumbai on a rainy evening in August. The city cast a magical spell on me in the next 24 hours. I made a promise to myself that I would return to this city one day as an explorer. I kept this promise. I revisited Mumbai this January. This time it was a 4 day trip and I explored the main attractions of the city. I was trying to sense the same old charm that I felt ten years ago.  And I was trying to understand how this city is different from other cities I visited so far. People say life in Mumbai is very fast paced. Of course, urbanization has reached its highest peak in Mumbai making it center of business for many major industri...
More Thoughts »

Strangers with memories

-
Image
We meet many people in real and virtual world every day. Some strangers turn into friends. Some are forgotten. In pre-internet era, we often used to lose track of the people we had met during a journey. Strangers open up to us just as much as our friends, sometimes even more for whatever reason. I came across some wonderful strangers during my travel who left mark in my mind. I used to travel from Howrah to Asansol, my home town, every alternate Friday during my graduation days in early 2000.  This used to be six hour long train journey. I loved to watch the scenic beauty of rural Bengal from the window of the compartment and feast on snacks and tea. Some days some co-passenger used to catch my attention.  One day I met a middle-aged woman who was unnaturally silent and almost oblivious of the surrounding. Few hours passed. Slowly she regained her composure and noticed my curious stare. We started talking. After few pleasantries she opened up to me. She lo...
More Thoughts »

How are you

-
Image
  How are you? A common question we exchange with people around us without expecting a genuine answer. Life is short and uncertain. The problem is we think we still have time. After the corona period, we started living our life with double zeal. Rate of travel across the globe increased drastically. Many of us became oblivious of the fragile nature of our daily pursuit of self importance.  My recent visit to Varanasi, one of the oldest cities of India, stirred the question of 'being' inside me.  Majority of the people in Varanasi depend on tourism for earning a living. People keep visiting the place throughout the year. I took a boat ride on Ganges river on a moonlight night. The boat crossed several ghats on the river. Devotees gather on the ghats to witness the majestic Ganga Aarti in the evening. Harishchandra Ghat is considered pious place for cremation. The famous Kashi Viswanath temple is situated within a kilometer from Dasaswamedh Ghat. The road from Ghat to c...
More Thoughts »