https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=ChaiwalaChaiwala - Revision history2026-07-31T03:44:18ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Chaiwala&diff=280824&oldid=prev->CWJ Chandu at 16:55, 6 January 20222022-01-06T16:55:34Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Redirect|Tea maker|equipment used in making tea|Teaware}}{{Short description|Person who makes, sells or serves tea/chai for a living}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}<br />
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2016}}<br />
[[File:ChaiwallaKolkata (cropped).JPG|thumb|A chaiwala prepares [[masala chai]] on a coal fire in a street of [[Kolkata]].]]<br />
[[File:India - Varanasi Chai kettle - 0666.jpg|thumb|right|A chaiwala in Varanasi pouring a cup of chai.]]<br />
A '''''chaiwala''''' (also spelled as '''''chaiwalah''''' or '''''chaiwallah'''''; {{lang-hi|चायवाला}}, [[IAST]]: ''chāyvālā''; {{lang-ur|{{Nastaliq|چائے والا}}}}, {{transl|sa|''cāyvālā''}}) is a person who prepares, sells or serves [[tea]] on streets or small roadside shops in the [[Indian subcontinent]].<ref>{{cite web|title=What is a chai wallah? |url=http://chaiwallahsofindia.com/2013/04/chai-wallah/|work=Chai Wallahs of India|accessdate=November 30, 2013|date=April 20, 2013}}</ref> They are an integral part of [[Desi|subcontinent culture]]. ''Chai'' is the Hindi and Urdu word for "tea", as in [[masala chai]], and ''[[wallah|wala]]'' indicates the person performing the task, so ''chaiwala'' is a [[Hawker (trade)|street seller]] of tea.<br />
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Chaiwalas, as an entrepreneurial group, tend to move from different regions of India to run their small business in major cities. They boil a mixture of water and milk, often with [[spices]] or a spice mixture called [[Chai masala]], add [[tea leaves]] and [[sugar]] and then strain the tea into containers or a tea kettle. They usually serve tea in a small glasses or unglazed clay teacups (''[[kulhar]]'') but, in the modern era, they have started to serve tea in plastic cups. Traditionally, tea was made in brass vessels. The hygienic safety of tea prepared in this manner is disputed.<ref>[https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g304551-i3482-k2767059-Is_it_safe_to_drink_coffee_or_tea-New_Delhi_National_Capital_Territory_of_Delhi.html "Is it safe to drink coffee or tea?"]. [[TripAdvisor Delhi]].</ref><br />
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==In popular culture==<br />
In the 1955 film ''[[Shri 420]]'', the hero ([[Raj Kapoor]]) brings the heroine ([[Nargis]]) to a road-side tea stall. The ''chaiwala'' insists on receiving a payment of two [[Indian anna|anna]]s (anna is 1/16th of a rupee) for the two cups.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZUDmEeDf8I "Raj Kapoor Proposes To Nargis On Street - Shree 420 Most Viewed Scenes"]. Shemaroo. February 2, 2012.</ref> The scene serves as a prelude for the famous song "Pyar Hua Ikrar Hua", during which the chaiwala is shown sipping the tea from a saucer (which was common among the unsophisticated people). In the 2009 drama ''[[Slumdog Millionaire]]'', the lead character, [[Jamal Malik (character)|Jamal Malik]] (played by [[Dev Patel]]), is a chaiwala in an Indian call center.<br />
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== In literature ==<br />
The 2021 children's book '''''Chaiwala!'''''<ref>{{Cite book|last=Maheshwari|first=Priti Birla|title=Chaiwala!|publisher=OwlKids Books|year=2021|isbn=9781771473682|location=Canada}}</ref> by Priti Birla Maheshwari "Sweetly captures a slice of Indian life."<ref>{{Cite web|date=June 29, 2021|title=Kirkus Review of Chaiwala! by Priti Birla Maheshwari|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/priti-birla-maheshwari/chaiwala/|url-status=live|access-date=October 10, 2021|website=Kirkus Reviews}}</ref> while telling the story of a little girl's experience getting chai with her mother at a train station in India. The book is published in Canada by OwlKids Books and illustrated by Ashley Barron.<br />
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== Notable examples ==<br />
The press has noted several successful chaiwalas:<ref>Eplett, Layla (June 14, 2016). [https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/06/14/481878368/tea-tuesday-meet-the-chai-wallahs-of-india "Tea Tuesday: Meet The Chai Wallahs Of India"]. [[NPR]].</ref><ref>[https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2016/10/chai-walas-india-161020153255247.html "The chai walas of India, Showkat Shafi"]. [[Al Jazeera]] October</ref> They include: <!-- Alphabetical order--><br />
* Former [[Chief Minister of Bihar]] and [[Rashtriya Janata Dal|RJD]] Chief [[Lalu Prasad Yadav]] stated that he was once a chaiwala.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lalu Yadav claims that he is real Chaiwala|url=http://news.biharprabha.com/2014/02/lalu-yadav-claims-that-he-is-real-tea-vendor/|work=IANS|publisher=Bihar Prabha|accessdate= February 13, 2014}}</ref><br />
* [[Laxman Rao]] of [[Delhi]], author of 24 books<ref>[https://www.firstpost.com/living/new-delhis-famous-tea-seller-meet-laxman-rao-chaiwallah-day-author-night-2378024.html "New Delhi's most famous tea seller: Meet Laxman Rao, chaiwallah by day, author by night"]. Firstpost. August 4, 2015.</ref><br />
* Indian Prime Minister [[Narendra Modi]] stated that in his youth he worked as a chaiwala for his father, and used to serve tea to the customers of his father's tea-stall outside the [[Vadnagar railway station]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Narendra-Modi-from-tea-vendor-to-PM-nominee/Article1-1121758.aspx|title=Narendra Modi: from tea vendor to PM nominee|date=August 4, 2015|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130915160212/http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Narendra-Modi-from-tea-vendor-to-PM-nominee/Article1-1121758.aspx|archivedate= September 15, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Zach Marks|title=Narendra Modi and the Calculus of Tea|url=http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/28/narendra-modi-and-the-calculus-of-tea/|work=[[The New York Times]]|accessdate=November 30, 2013|date=October 28, 2013}}</ref> In 2015, an [[Right to Information Act, 2005|RTI query]] was filed asking "whether there was any record, registration number or official pass issued to [[Narendra Modi|Modi]] allowing or entitling him to sell tea on trains and at stations". [[Parliament of India|The Indian government]] responded that no such information is available.<ref>{{cite news |title=No official record of Modi being tea-seller: RTI reply |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/pm-narendra-modi-tea-seller-rti-official-record-241411-2015-02-21 |accessdate=March 23, 2019 |work=[[India Today]]|date=February 21, 2015 |language=en}}</ref><br />
* Eric Elston is a well-known chaiwala in Suva (based in Varani St), Fiji. He has years of experience in the art of making authentic chai, and is now suffering from his success making numerous chais daily on demand. He has perfected the balance of spices and ginger and speaks perfect Fiji-hindi<br />
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==See also==<br />
* [[Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Bill, 2012]]<br />
*[[Tea lady]], a similar occupation in Britain<br />
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==References==<br />
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{{reflist}}<br />
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[[Category:Indian tea]]<br />
[[Category:Narendra Modi]]</div>->CWJ Chandu