Bharti Tea Bhandar

You will find us at 4 Mandi Ki Naal, which is a bit of a tight squeeze when the market is in full swing. Bharti Tea Bhandar is a small operation, just a couple of us managing the inventory and the sales. The shop itself is quite old and the stone floor has worn down over the years from all the walking. We keep the tea in large metal tins to keep the moisture out, especially when it gets humid in the summer. Life here moves at its own pace. Some mornings are completely silent and then suddenly ten people show up at once wanting different blends. We don't use any fancy machines, just the old manual balance scales that have been here since the start. It takes a bit longer to weigh everything out but nobody seems to mind the wait. We talk about the local news or the price of sugar while we work. The tea arrives in big wooden crates and we pry them open with a crowbar, which is the hardest part of the job. There’s a cat that hangs around the entrance expecting a bit of milk, and she’s basically part of the furniture now. We don't try to be something we aren't. It's just a place where tea is stored and sold to people who live nearby. The walls could use a new coat of paint, but we never seem to get around to it.