Chaai Ghar

We are located over at 2-6-34 in KPHB 5th Phase, right in the middle of all the noise in Kukatpally. The shop is small, just enough space for me to stand behind the counter and move between the burners and the sink. Most mornings I get here while it is still dark out to start heating the water. People around here are always in a rush to get to work or the metro, so I have to be fast with the glasses. The stove stays on pretty much all day long and the steam makes the walls a bit damp when it rains outside. It is not a fancy place, just some benches and the smell of ginger and tea leaves floating out onto the sidewalk. Sometimes the traffic on the main road gets so loud we have to shout to hear what people want. I spend a lot of time cleaning up the spills and stacking the empty milk packets in the corner before the trash guy comes by. My hands are usually stained a bit brown from the tea, but that is just how it is when you do this work. It gets dusty because of all the construction going on around Kukatpally lately. We just keep the fan running and try to keep the flies away while the regulars sit and talk about their day. It is a simple routine every single day and we don't change much of how things are done.