Chaiwala as PM? Not their cup of tea

Sandeep Sinha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proved that transformational change is possible in rising from a humble tea seller to heading the country, said Ivanka Trump, daughter of US President Donald Trump, during a recent visit to India.

Indeed, PM Modi himself harped time and again on his being a humble tea-seller and used it to his advantage when he launched an interactive public outreach programme, Chai Pe Charcha, which was relayed at numerous tea stalls across different cities in India. Earlier, his image of pouring tea for the visiting US President Barack Obama had brewed aroma for newshounds across the world.   

The constant emphasis on having started in life as a tea-seller even invited a retort from his predecessor Manmohan Singh who said he was not in competition with Narendra Modi over having a humble background.

That set me thinking and I decided to meet some chaiwalas in the city to know what they thought of Narendra Modi’s humble origins— of being a tea-seller — and was privy to a contrasting set of views.  

Sudama, a roadside tea-seller adjacent to a park in Sector 30 in Chandigarh, thinks Narendra Modi is a big hoax. Hailing from Unnao in Uttar Pradesh, Sudama lives  in a temple in the locality, not surprising for a man whose namesake in an earlier era was Lord Krishna’s bosom pal, and a man of humble origin.

Since early in the morning till 5 in the evening, he attends to customers at his stall, selling them tea for Rs 7 per tumbler.

In the city for 20 years, Sudama was categorical in his denunciation of Modiji. “Bera gark kar ke rakha hai, mahangai kitni badh gai hai,” he said. The only thing that has gone up during Modi’s reign are the prices and the LPG, essential commodities and the GST were some examples of the government’s insensitivity towards the common people, he added and quipped, “Phir bhi log pata nahin kyun pagal ho rahe hain?”  

Sensing my accent, he tried to cheer me up saying, “Kal Laluji ke bête ki shadi thi, maine TV par dekha tha.” I told him it was the wedding of Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Modi’s son and Laluji was there to bless the couple. “He did a lot of good work as the Railway Minister,” said Sudama, a point which I found it difficult to contest.

And what did Sudama think of Modiji’s humble origin as a tea-seller? “Sab bekar hai ji,” he remarked, “how does it affect us? Koi aaye, koi jaye, hamein kya fark parta hai. Hamein toh mehnat ki roti khani hai,” he said in matter of fact way.   

Sri Lal also sells tea in the city for a livelihood. He has his stall in the Sector 20 market and is slightly upscale, in the sense that his is not quite a roadside stall, but at a vantage location, beside a wall inside the market, surrounded by shops. That assures him of a steady clientele in terms of orders for tea. He serves tea in neat cups and not tumblers and informed that what he charges for the tea depends on customers. “Pahadiyon se Rs 10 le lete hain, bahar wale se bhi,” he said. From others, like me, he charges Rs 7.

Sri Lal hails from Madhubani in Bihar. He told me he was to leave for his home state the very next day, where he will stay for six months. His associates take care of the stall during this period. He has realized his life’s aim through this tea stall, which was of educating his children. He has married off his daughter and his son studies engineering in Bhopal. He has also acquired two bighas of land in his village, an acquisition which gives him both pride and satisfaction.

He had not done too badly as a tea-seller and what did he think of Modiji’s humble origin as a tea-seller? Sri Lal was effusive in his praise for the PM. He said the rich were getting richer while the poor were getting poorer and Modi had ended that. “Bahut achcha kam ho raha hai,” he remarked. 

He cited the example of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmit Ram Rahim. “Aadha Hindustan basa rakha tha ashram ke andar. Usko line par la diya,” he added. No gain without pain, said Sri Lal, and was convinced that the Notebandi and GST hullabaloo were only a storm in a tea cup. 

By now, I had consumed tea in copious quantities. I was reminded of what a friend from Shimla had told me about a board at a tea shop, “Khoob chai piyo, khoob saal jiyo.”

As Sri Lal added ginger in the parting cup of tea, I was reminded of raper Baba Sehgal’s song, “Adrak wali chai; emotions ko jagaye; jab ser main pain ho; barish ya rain ho; samajh mein na aaye; aur mood insane ho; adrak wali chai…”