Shri Krishna Tea House

We start early here in Masjid Bunder. The morning air is usually a bit heavy, and the first thing I do is light the stove at Shri Krishna Tea House. It takes a while for the big pot to get going. We sit right in Swaminarayanwad Rughanathpura, which gets busy faster than you’d think. By six, people are already walking past, and I’m usually still getting the milk packets sorted. The floor gets a bit dusty from the street, so we sweep it twice before noon. Most days, it is just about keeping the tea hot and making sure there is enough sugar in the jars. The benches are old wood, and they creak when someone sits down too fast. We don't have fancy decorations or anything. There is a small shelf where we keep the glass cups, and they rattle when a heavy truck goes by outside. Sometimes the milk delivery is late, and we just have to wait around. It's a small space, so things get cramped when the rain starts and everyone tries to crowd inside at once. I spend a lot of time just wiping the counter and looking out at the street. It is not a quiet job, but the routine is what keeps us going. We’ve been at this address for a long time now, and not much has changed besides the price of the tea leaves we buy from the market every week or so.