Hometown Connection

Most of the people have a deep connection with their hometown; at least during initial years after leaving the hometown. I belong to Darbhanga and had spent my formative years in this town. Sometimes, the deep affection with your hometown can give you enriching experience during the journey of life. Once I had been to Kolkata to attend a launch meeting. During one of the evenings, I was taking a stroll near Howrah Bridge; the famous landmark of Kolkata. My two colleagues were also with me. After taking a leisurely walk for some time, we felt an urge to have tea. While we were searching for a tea stall, I could see a rudimentary tea stall on the sidewalk. The person managing the tea stall was in his early thirties. He was fragile in appearance and was of medium height. He was wearing a lungi and banyan. A towel was tied around his head to serve as the quintessential headgear. He had a kerosene stove, a kettle, some glasses and a couple of tin containers in the name of tea stall. His tea stall was highlighting two important aspects of business. The first aspect was how to run a business on a shoe-string budget. And the second aspect was about ways to create the smallest possible carbon footprint.

As I and my colleagues were unable to enjoy the kick from highly sophisticated version of tea being sold in the five star hotel, we decided to enjoy the typical roadside tea. I asked the vendor to make special tea. I requested him to add ginger for extra flavor. I also asked him to boil the tea for a little bit longer to infuse strong essence of tea leaves.

The guy was too happy to cater to our demands. While we were sipping the freshly brewed tea; we were also talking to him. His tone of speaking gave away his roots. I could guess that the tea seller belonged to my hometown or to some village near my hometown.

I asked, “Bhaiya, you appear to belong to Bihar.”

The tea seller replied, “Yes sir, I come from Bihar.”

Emboldened by his answer, I further asked, “Which town from Bihar?”

He replied, “Sir, I belong to Darbhanga.”

I could not conceal my glee and said, “That is great. What a coincidence? I also belong to Darbhanga. It is a great pleasure for me to have tea from a tea seller from Bihar that too in Kolkata.”

After that, I must have talked to the tea seller for at least half an hour. To add more personal touch to our conversation, we shifted to the regional language which is being spoken in Darbhanga. We were talking in Maithili and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

After we finished the tea and I finished the talking, I asked the tea seller, “It was nice talking to you. You make really tasty tea. How much should I pay for the tea?”

The reply of the tea seller was surprising for me. He said, “Sir, you have come from Darbhanga. I feel fortunate to serve tea to a person from my hometown. It does not look nice to charge a bill from my own people. Consider this as a compliment from my side.”

The tone of his voice and the expression on his face was so powerful that I could not refuse to accept his complimentary gift. I could not muster the courage to pay for the tea. I just gave him a hug and said goodbye to him.