Swami Samarth Tea Stall

Bazargate Street in Aundh gets busy quite early. We open up Swami Samarth Tea Stall while the sun is still coming up. Usually, the first thing to do is get the milk delivered and start the large burners. There is a specific sound the metal pots make when they hit the stove. It’s a very local spot and we see the same people every single morning. Some are going to the office and others are just out for a walk. The tea stays boiling for most of the day and the smell of ginger and cardboard boxes is always around. We have a few benches that have seen better days but people don't seem to mind sitting there for a few minutes. The traffic on Bazargate can get pretty loud around ten o'clock. We spend a lot of time just washing glasses and making sure the sugar jars are full. It's not a big place at all. It’s mostly just a counter and a lot of steam. Sometimes we run out of biscuits by midday because the school kids stop by. Running a tea stall means your hands are always a bit damp and you’re constantly moving. We’ve been at this spot for a while now and we know the rhythms of the street. When the evening comes, the lights from the other shops start flickering on and we begin our final clean-up for the night.