Delhiwale: Beyond Mama’s Tea Stall

The much-loved Mama Tea Stall opens at eight in the morning daily, here in Gurugram’s Sector 14 market. Yesterday it didn’t. Don’t worry, it hasn’t shut down. Owner Devendra Yadav was celebrating Independence Day. He opened his stall two hours later, the national flag hoisted at four different places across the establishment. Being a popular tea place, the 15-year-old Mama Tea Stall naturally needs no introduction, but have you tried these lesser-known chai stalls of Gurugram?
‘Jai Maa Sheetla’ Guptaji Tea Stall (see photo, snapped some winters ago) in Sector 12 is administered by Poonam with husband Arjun. The couple refer to each other as “your uncle” and “your aunty.” The stall’s “uncle” frequently makes rounds of nearby shops to deliver chai to regular clients. Currently, both are down with fever and resting at home. The stall is functioning intermittently. It will operate smoothly as soon as they recover.
The unnamed chai stall on New Railway Road was founded by Shesh Nath, who arrived many years ago from eastern UP’s Gorakhpur. The wooden khoka, or shack, is severely discoloured into many shades of brown. The shelves tend to be stacked with beedi packs, along with a couple of cheeka, the wiry metallic stand used for delivering the chai glasses. The customers sit on a long bench, and gaze at the traffic outside.
This chai stall in Jyoti Market was founded by Sooraj after he retired as a fauji more than 20 years ago. The counter is perennially crowded with tea kettles, tiny chai glasses, and biscuit jars. There are tables and a small TV too.
This chai stall in Apna Bazar is among the market building’s longest surviving establishments. Middle-aged Manveer arrived in the Millennium City as an ambitious boy from his Uttarakhand village, dreaming “of changing my life and building my own house in this city.” He started as a “compounder” in a medical clinic and later, following the advice of friends, founded this stall. Being a first floor establishment, it hosts a panoramic view of the market.
This chai stall in Ashok Vihar Phase II is so small and its ceiling is so low that it is difficult to spot the elderly Kamlesh standing behind the counter. The stall originally belonged to another person and fell into her hands after a series of events, one of which was her husband’s death. The area has scores of machine workshops, whose workers respectfully address Kamlesh either as “bua” or “aunty.”