Old world charm: Tea stall resembling a tram comes up

kolkata: A couple in Kumartuli are paying their tribute to one of the oldest and cheapest ways of transportation in the city by selling tea in a tram structured shop.

Kumartuli is popularly known as a hub of idol makers. All round the year; it remains crowded with customers and budding photographers looking for idols and its rich history. In a corner near Bonomali Sarkar Street stands a yellow and green coloured tram-like structure. The tea shop is called The Tram Tea Shop.

It is run by 54-year-old Madan Pal and his wife Manu Pal. It opens at 6:30 am and closes at around 12:30 pm, followed by reopening in the evening from 4 pm to 9 pm. They opened the shop after the first lockdown got over. The structure is still incomplete because they did not have enough money. "We are yet to put the handles and headlight to the tram," Madan Pal said. During that time we faced issues because we were still not allowed to open the shop and police would often urge us to keep close. Like the rest of the Kumartuli, business had taken a hit.

But now it has revived with people coming here out of curiosity and loving our concept and tea. The tea here ranges from Rs 3 to Rs 120. But due to shortage in supply of the special tea kulhad or clay tea cups, the owners have taken Rs 120 tea off the menu for a while.

The shop is 40-year-old. Before the pandemic, it was a small, quintessential tea shop. In 2020, the owner decided to renovate it into a structure close to his heart, trams. "There is a tram line but no trams. Once upon a time, trams to Chitpur used to pass from here. In order to keep the memory alive, my husband decided to build the shop in this structure," Manu said.