There are some special bonds we form with people from different walks of life, that are just unexplainable. And it all starts with a simple smile and a casual greeting. The lady who works at a beauty parlour, a fellow passenger in the flight, the local street food vendor or a tapriwala nearby, have our hearts. With inspiring stories, magic in their food and services, warm nature, they offer a friendship like no other. A man from Bangalore, Dharmesh Ba recently shared a story of his unlikely friendship with a Malayalee chaiwala on Twitter. The heartfelt anecdote made the internet quite emotional. Read on to know why.
A Friendship That Transcends All, That Started With Just A Cup Of Tea
Dharmesh Ba first moved to Bangalore in 2015. He stayed in a studio apartment in Koramangala. Away from his home, in an unknown city, Dharmesh wandered around his apartment. That’s when he came across a small tea stall, called by locals as “Chetta’s Shop,” which means, ” Elder Brother’s Shop” in Malayalam. This shop was owned and run by a man called PM, who hailed from a small village in Kerala. Dharmesh visited his stall for a cup of tea and shared smiles with the friendly chaiwala. From then, he would visit this stall every day for the piping hot tea served by PM. They smiled at each other and even greeted Good Morning.
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Chetta’s Shop In Koramangala Was All About Tea Served With Warmth
In 2017, Dharmesh shifted to another apartment. But he visited the chaiwala and promised to meet him every time he visited the vicinity. Since then, he moved 4 homes. But every time he was in Koramangala, he made it a ritual to visit “Chetta’s Shop” and meet PM. During the infrequent visits, they shared more than just a Good Morning. They inquired about each other’s health and life. The COVID-19 induced lockdown put a halt to his tea stall visits. And finally, after the lockdown was removed, Dharmesh visited the shop recently.
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The Shop Closed Down Due To Covid Losses & Chetta Went Back To His Village In Kerala
But he was heartbroken to see PM standing in front of the shop with tears in his eyes. With the shop almost empty, PM was handing chai to a customer. He came to know that it was the chaiwala’s last day as he was shutting the shop permanently. PM was elated to see Dharmesh after ages. And he served him the last cup of tea from “Chetta’s Shop”. The chaiwala was going back to his village and hopefully planned to shift to Dubai for a better job. Dharmesh was devastated, but shook his hand and thanked him for being a great company.
Today when I visited him after many months I saw him standing almost teary eyed with his shop almost empty and him handing over tea to a customer.
He was elated to see me. I enquired and he responded that it was his last day as he is shutting down the shop permanently.
— Dharmesh Ba (@dharmeshba) March 5, 2021
Dharmesh & Chetta’s 6-Year Friendship Continues To Stay Strong
He took his number and asked him to stay in touch. The chaiwala could contact him anytime in case he needed any help. As he was saving his contact, PM asked Dharmesh for the first time in 6 years, “What’s Your Name?” Well, Dharmesh doesn’t know what to name this unlikely friendship, but he knows that he will miss this charming human being for sure. He further adds that Bangalore is all about the equations he made with people he came across over the years. Social media users were touched by this story and wished Chetta well for his future. Some of them even asked for his number so they could help him in any way. This was indeed an unexplainable yet heartwarming bond of true friendship. Meanwhile, here’s an unusual story of a Chaiwala from Delhi who has also written 25 books.