सिंहदरबार संवाददाता
Sarlahi. A small cart has been set up next to the vegetable market along the East-West Highway in Lalbandi, Sarlahi. On the cart is a cylinder of gas, a stove connected to it, a bowl filled with milk, a kettle continuously boiling tea on the stove, and a few glasses placed next to it. This is a scene from the past 18 years.
Binod Sah is a tea shop owner who is always surrounded by a crowd of tea connoisseurs. 42-year-old Sah of Lalbandi Municipality-9 has made a name, reputation, and identity by selling tea. From 4 am to late evening, his tea shop is surrounded by tea connoisseurs.
‘I come to the shop early every day, close the shop only at 8 pm and return home. This has been my daily routine for the past 18 years,’ said Sah. ‘Sometimes, even if I am a little late in the morning, customers scold me.’
He started brewing tea even before passing his SLC from Janajyoti Madhyamik School in Bastipur, Lalbandi Municipality in 2059 BS. The Sah family, whose ancestral home is Durga Bhagwatipur Rural Municipality-5, Rautahat, migrated to Lalbandi after the floods of the Bagmati washed away their farms. The current place of residence is Sah’s maternal grandfather.
‘After the family farm was washed away by the Bagmati River floods, my maternal grandfather called my parents here,’ he said. ‘After that, my parents would roast green corn and roast almonds and sell them, and the money they earned would support the family.’
Sah said that he had started selling tea to help his parents and do something for his family. ‘The astrologer had said that the hotel business would flourish,’ he said. ‘The family did not have the money to open a hotel. I started the tea business by taking a small loan.’
He said that this is how he combined his family’s livelihood with his home. Sah said that he sells about three hundred cups of tea daily from early morning to late at night. He said that he does a daily turnover of up to 6 thousand.
Sah informed that he buys 40 to 50 liters of milk from the dairy daily for tea. ‘You have to pay Rs 90 per liter of milk,’ he said, ‘I sell a cup of tea for Rs 20.’ According to him, many customers who come to the shop come regularly. Sah said that he bought 15 acres of land in Lalbandi and built a one-story house after selling tea.
‘I paid Rs. 100,000 when I bought the land,’ he said. ‘I have gradually built the house by spending Rs. 35,000. I have educated two sons and a daughter in boarding school. I have not had any problems feeding them so far.’ He says that his monthly turnover is more than Rs. 150,000. Sah has experienced losses due to borrowing while running a tea shop for a year. Since then, he has not had to think about other options for making a living. Sah says that he has earned money, friends and fame from the tea shop. With the help of his friends, he sent his son to Germany for higher education five months ago.
According to Sah, his younger son is in grade 11 and his daughter is in grade 10 at a boarding school. He said that due to the tea business, he has not been able to think about other businesses, jobs, and foreign employment. Since Lalbandi Sah is from Mavli village, everyone addresses him as Bhanja. He also addresses everyone, young and old, who come to have tea as Mama. That is why Sah’s tea shop is known as ‘Bhanja’s Tea Shop’ throughout Lalbandi.
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