The tea stall happiness…
There is a shop opposite to the ettimadai railway station. A small tea stall where I see this guy, his wife and their daughter selling stuff. The stall sells eatables, cold drinks, snacks like parotta, dosa and more to college students who wait at the station eager to go home from the torturing hostels. Well, this shops also sells cigarettes, the main reason why I go there. And the kind of smoker I am, I frequently visit this shop. It was one such time while I was going home. Train was late and I went to find a smoke.. I see this guy. Maybe in his forties. Tall, slim, dark and always wet with sweat. His hair is almost grey. His shirt always half open, showing off his thin, fragile looking chest - thin probably due to his beedis. He stands there, right beside the hot stove, baking parottas, boiling eggs, making tea. Always doing something or the other. At times when I used to pass by his shop i've seen him sitting on that plastic stool outside his shop, sometimes having his sip of...