OFF TAPRIS AND TEA STALLS... A TRIBUTE

Well for anybody here in Mumbai "Chai cutting" would be a household name but during my stay at Bangalore,I found out that very few were familiar with this term but I should admit that there are more "visible" Tea shops in Bangalore than in Mumbai and well if you are an Engineering Graduate you definitely cannot survive without a tea shop, Well we all know about this."GOD BLESS ENGINEERS".

For me the much acclaimed "Tea Shop" was never really a hangout place until i made some friends who just could not do without it.Yes I am speaking of those smokers,Faggers,Sutta fukkads... call them whatever you want.Well the Tea Shops is Bangalore have devised a new sales startegy by making provisions for "Cigerrate,Kharis,Biscuits and Chaklis " which automatically atrract umpteen customers and they end up buying more Tea and more Sutta..hehe..

My bonding with Tea Shops started with the beginning of my second year of my Engineering days as there was Tension,Frustration and all the Pre-Requisites which make you visit tea shops. Be it the 10 minute break or the long half hour break me and my friends would rush to the nearest "Akka Tea Shop" for relaxation.Everybody had their own preferences, I had mine...A cup of Tea..

Well it was barely a few minute walk from our classromm and I have seen people taking out their bikes in order to avoid rush and get the first taste of peace after maybe a rough or hard time at college.There were always orders taken in groups as one single person would become the acting waiter and take all the orders for other friends and go to Akka and get the stuff.

Even the billing process was similar as one would get the accounting done and everyone used to contribute their share. The best part of these small time parties was that the bill never crossed 50 bucks and we all used to have a great time out there. Given the ambience and privacy ths place was supposed to be our hang out place for years together... who cares about malls ...anyways.We always had maximum fun in the smallest possible kharcha... sounds complete consumer satisfaction, that is what their core value is all about, giving cent percent satisfaction to sincere customers.

The entire scene at the tea shop was palpable during the break time as around 25 30 guys used to come regularly to this place and lett me tell you these guys were very sincere about it. We also had one "Manju angadi" ( Angadi means shop in kannada)... down the lane which was a healthy 10 min walk but if yu wish to walk the distance you could have the luxury of sitting down calmly in the hut... rechristened by my friends as"Pizza hut" as Mr.Manju the owner had built a small enclave for the novelty of his consumers.The most important aspect of Tea Stalls is that they never have to invest in publicity and advertising and as a result they can make innovative use of their funds as the one which I had stated earlier.

The progress and development of the Manju Tea Stall from being a small Tea Shop into one of the few profit making enterprises during recession can be very well drafted into the IIM syllabus as a case study.Never I have seen the place empty or quiet, everybody used to make their presence felt, the offbeat attitude hungry students, workers, drinkers who wanna come out of hangovers and etc.

These were two prime locations near my college but during my ending days there came a new stall which was exactly behind our college and this stall was giving the two giants a decent enough run for their money. It all depends on Akka and Manju how are they going to face this competition and the end result is yet to be seen.

Well college or no college we all used to love our favourite Adda the Tea Stall, Wherever we go we used to bookmark our Tea stall first and half the problem would have been solved as if you ask these stall owners about any locations anywhere they shall not disappoint you, in fact they are unnoticed geniuses.

Well everything used to happen at Tea Stalls, From local Gang wars to endless friends banter to some Career discussions to last minute exam preparation, literally everything.Even one can take the effort of making a Docu Drama on Tea Stalls and let me tell you there is going to be a good audience for it.

Time was never a constraint for us and neither it was for them as one could find their services 24X7 365 days a year. Never shall they let go their target audeince as the competition is simply cutthroat. Due to such unparalleled efforts some of them have actually created a niche for themselves.. for example the one in Jayanagar called "Gold flake" has become such an indispensible part for students in and around Jayanagar that the exact location where the Tea Stall stands has actually become a landmark for everybody.

As a move against cafffeine addiction this enterprise has actually stopped serving Tea and coffee and now concentrates more on Soft Drinks and Lime juice which again is a revenue increasing strategy as one may have more sales in that case.in the coming years we may also expect a big bus terminal bearing its name.

Or may be if some IIM grad approaches him and presents him a plan of taking out franchisees we may see various branches of Gold Flake all round Bangalore.

There are also many things to learn from these Pitstops as they offer such noble and continous help to us frustration driven students...lets call ourselves engineers... that there should be some sort of appreciation from the government or from some NGOs.

Well I had a great time at these shops and I hope every person who does visit this place shall feel it for himself. This was a tribute from me to their unending and selfless efforts.

If Dabbawallas can make it to the Managemant Case study Circles why not them?????

Anybody inetersted...........