HARISH DHABA

Our dhaba is right on Railway Road in Daria. We are at Shop No. 129, which is very close to the Chandigarh railway station. Because of that, we see a lot of people coming and going with their bags and suitcases. Some look really tired from long train rides. The shop isn't very big, but we have enough room for folks to sit down for a bit. We keep the stove going pretty much all day. It gets dusty being so close to the station and the main road, so we are always wiping down the tables. The noise of the trains is something you just get used to after a week or two. Sometimes it’s busy at odd hours because trains arrive late or people are waiting for an early departure. We go through a lot of tea and simple meals every day. It’s just me and a couple of others mostly. We don’t really do anything complicated here. The menu is written on a board, and we try to keep it simple so we can serve people fast. In the winter, it gets quite cold in Chandigarh, so the steam from the pots feels good. We have been here at Daria for a while now, just serving whoever walks through the door from the station. It’s a basic place with wooden benches and old fans, but it works for what it is.