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| Credit:DailyIndia.net |
Overnight, the roadside tea stall, a 15-minute walk from Assi Ghat, Varanasi's southernmost ghat, has become nearly a tourist attraction and a selfie point.
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| Credit:IndiaTV News |
The Pappu ki 'adai' is reached via a bustling and sometimes noisy street packed with cafes and businesses offering vegetables, groceries, Hindu holy texts, Rudraksha, sculptures, and pottery. Manoj, together with his two brothers, Manish and Satish, handle the kiosk.
The PM's flotilla headed towards Benaras Hindu University's Lanka gate via Godowlia,Madanpura,Sonarpura, and Shivala after giving prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath Dham. When Modi arrived in Assi, he exited his vehicle to join Union Minister and UP Elections Chief Dharmendra Pradhan, who was already waiting for him beside the tea kiosk.
Modi lingered there for a few minutes after finishing his tea before proceeding to the BHU gate. Pappu, who hosts intellectuals and prominent people of the city at his kiosk on a regular basis in addition to visitors, was at a loss for words when it came to expressing his delight over Modi's visit.
"It's difficult to find words to explain my feelings right now," he says.
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| Credit:OYE CHAI WALA |
At the Chaiwala kiosk during the weekend, politicians of various ideologies, student leaders, BJP and Congress supporters, TV crews, and journalists could be seen. Everyone was curious as to what Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a former chaiwallah, had brought with him. Manoj claims they ran out of milk, ginger, and other things and had to go out and get more. The stand sells coffee, black coffee, and tea, but its lemon tea is its specialty.
Sujeet, a 27-year-old ready-to-wear vendor in Sasaram, said Since Manoj Singh's grandfather, ex-serviceman Baldev Singh, opened the tea store in 1947, it has been a gathering place for people from all walks of life. "We are used to seeing clients stay here for hours on end debating politics," Manoj, who has worked in the business for 30 years, recalls, "but the experience of serving tea to a Prime Minister who was a tea-seller was remarkable." What could be better than one chai wallah serving tea to another?" Manoj wondered.
The tea stall is small and unassuming. Anand Singh waits for the tea to brew in the traditional aluminium kettle at the entrance. Simultaneously, he squeezes lemons to prepare the popular beverage.
The Chaurasia Paan business has been in operation for four generations and has a loyal following, but since Modi's visit, the number of customers has more than doubled. " He came to our door as a common man, which has earned us a lot of respect from the public." 'We've been getting calls from relatives in Bihar, Delhi, Patna, Mumbai, and Sasaram,' Pawan says.
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