Tea now a luxury for working class

Price of a cup doubles in a month to 60 rupees

If there’s something that keeps the working class up and that runs in their body besides blood, it is none other than a cup of tea.

“I can work without having food all day, but I get mad if I don’t drink a cup of hot tea,” says Gul Badhsah, a labourer at a construction site, while sipping tea from a cup after a long tiring day.

Whether it’s about digging roads or constructing buildings, tea is a compulsory item for all labourers. The tired, hungry, stressed-out truck, rickshaw and taxi drivers and even the general working class of the metropolis normally stop at a roadside hotel for a cup of tea to ease the burden of the day. It’s not just a mere cup of tea; it’s doodh patti, an elixir of sugar, creamy milk and cardamom.

Such tea hotels are located in every nook and corner of Karachi, and most of them are owned and managed by Pashtuns from Quetta or Peshawar. Their main customers are chowkidars, students and blue-collar workers who visit these affordable tea shops to energise and spend some leisure time after a hectic day.

Those who have come alone in the city to earn a livelihood even start their day with a cup of tea and two parathas. For them, this breakfast is enough to boost their energy to work hard without a break for the whole day. But after their daylong work, they need another cup to refuel.

Unfortunately, because of inflation a cup of doodh patti that used to cost Rs.30, only a couple of months back, now costs Rs60. The exorbitant and sudden rise in the cost has hit the common hardworking lot of the society a bit too hard, especially those who are living alone without their families.

As a relief measure, some tea shops have introduced a half cup costing Rs.40. But those who have no options but to go to such shops also for breakfast argue that a half cup is not enough for two parathas. Therefore they reluctantly place an order for a full but settle for half a cup in the evening.

The hotel owners say that they have no choice but to raise the price because everything got more expensive for them — milk, sugar and tea. So the sudden rise in the price of ingredients used for making doodh patti became a matter of survival for their business.

But keeping in view the condition of their customers they claim that they have reduced their profit margin. The worst sufferers are of course truck, taxi and rickshaw drivers. They say that the government dropped the ‘petrol bomb’ on them and now it’s the ‘doodh patti bomb’. While the rising cost of petrol has affected their earnings, the costly tea has made it difficult for them to re-energise. In short, they find themselves in a tough situation as they are unable to save enough for their families in their hometowns.

The ‘Chaay Wala’ hotels are in big demand these days as even the well-to-do teens are switching to them. Such hotels are rapidly expanding in Defence and Clifton, making it a lucrative enterprise at times when it is hard to set up a business in upscale localities. On a drive around Khayaban-e-Bokhari in Defence or Boat Basin in Clifton, one can easily spot plastic chairs cosily placed with boys and girls and families relishing ‘doodh patti’ and paratha in a cosy environment.

Initially, ‘Chai Wala’ and ‘Chai Shai’ were the only two shops selling tea. However, as more people started checking in on Facebook at these places, others such as Lollywood Café, Chai Master and Café Clifton also jumped in to serve the paratha and tea with their own unique tinge. Today, on Chota Bukhari only – the birthplace of Chai Shai and Chai Wala’s – seven dhabas are functional and many others are serving the traditional cuisine all across the city including two in Gulshan e Iqbal, one in North Nazimabad and another at Tariq Road.

Whether it’s a place for females to peacefully hangout, families who want pocket-friendly outings, business tycoons who want simple pleasures of life, or politicians who like to mingle among the common masses without security protocol, these dhabas have changed the portrayal of how chai dhabas looked like a couple of years ago and welcomed customers from all walks of life making them sit in the same row.

According to a food blogger, “While dhaba dining may not be for everyone, the tea is surely not to be missed. These places offer a unique and modern twist to dhabas making everyone feel warm and comfortable. A must-visit for a change of scenery and a taste of tea.”

The blogger further adds, “A highly revered national favourite and a breakfast staple in most households across the country, chai and paratha have gathered a special place and following in cafes in Karachi’s Defence.”

All said and done the fact remains that while the rich are enjoying doodh patti even at a high cost, the sudden rise in prices has turned out to be devastating for the low-income Karachiites, especially the truck, taxi and rickshaw drivers.