I belong to Thiruvadavur village near Madurai. When I was in school, I have started making tea and coffee at my father’s tea shop. When he suffered loss in business, I joined a Nair’s tea shop in Sellur in the city. I joined the newly opened Akshaya’s restaurant opposite Mattuthavani less than a year ago. I work here for 10 hours a day from 2 p.m. to midnight and earn a salary of Rs.12,000. I have two young children and my wife works does a part time job. Daily, I boil around 75 to 80 litres of milk and make hundreds of cups of coffee and tea. Those days, we sold a cup of tea for 50 paise and coffee for 60 or 70 paise. Now, we sell it for Rs.10 or 12 a cup.
Decades of experience in the art has made a Tea master. Within seconds, I make numerous cups of steaming chai. My chai has gained me fans and regular customers. Many also find it fascinating to see me mix the milk and decoction in style. My father used to say that a good tea master can be judged by the way he mixes the brew/decoction. The secret of perfect blend is mixing right proportions of sugar and milk. It is the appreciation from my customers that keeps me going. Many of them tell me that the coffee I make compares with some of the best in the city.
(A fortnightly column on men and women who make Madurai what it is)
