Tea Kadai conversations – Episode 14

 

Over the past few days, my visits to the tea kadai have been irregular, largely due to my wife’s health concerns and my own dental appointments. As a result, I’ve missed much of the daily chatter, but one topic continues to dominate conversations within the community—the increased maintenance charges imposed by the service provider from April 2026.

Image by ChatGPT

The Resident Welfare Association has not accepted this hike and has been seeking justification and supporting documents for the increase. However, based on updates shared with residents, the service provider has not responded adequately to these queries.

An open house meeting was recently conducted by the association, where committee members shared their views not only on the revised charges but also on broader issues affecting senior residents. A key concern raised was the disruption in commercial gas supply to the community kitchen. It was alleged that non-payment to the gas agency led to the cancellation of the consumer number, forcing the kitchen to rely on firewood. This has, understandably, affected both the quality and variety of food being served.

The association has suggested that residents—both owners and tenants—pay maintenance charges at the February 2026 level rather than the revised amount, as a way to pressure the service provider into negotiations. However, opinions among residents are divided. One group supports partial payment now and settling the balance after mutual agreement, with legal action as a fallback. Another group believes in paying the full amount upfront and then pursuing legal remedies if needed, arguing that courts may not entertain cases where dues are unpaid.

What stands out, rather disappointingly, is the level of discord among residents. Many of them, despite their experience and past positions of authority, seem to engage in unnecessary arguments, especially on Whats App groups, often dismissing even constructive suggestions.

Personally, I prefer to stay away from these politics. While the association plays an important role in representing residents’ concerns, it should avoid unilateral decisions that may disrupt essential services. Ultimately, I intend to act based on my own judgment rather than follow any stance blindly. After all, the quality of services was a key factor in choosing to live here, and that should not be compromised.

On 28th April, one of the more interesting conversations revolved around a solo road trip undertaken by Mr. Rajan to Shillong and back…an adventure inspired by a similar journey recently completed by another resident Dr Kamaraj.

Rajan shared vivid accounts of his experiences along the way. His journey through West Bengal coincided with the election period, which brought unexpected challenges. Due to local restrictions, hotels were not accommodating outsiders, leaving him stranded for options. After considerable effort, he managed to secure an Airbnb stay for two nights, which provided some much-needed relief.

The return leg of his journey presented a different kind of hurdle. In Telangana, he encountered a widespread fuel shortage, with over 200 petrol bunks reportedly shut. Anticipating uncertainty, he adopted a simple but effective strategy of refuelling whenever he came across an operational bunk, ensuring he was never caught off guard.

He also recounted an unusual and slightly unsettling interaction at a toll booth. A member of the transgender community approached his vehicle seeking money. Upon his refusal, the individual scribbled something on his windshield—possibly a signal to others ahead, though he wasn’t certain. Rajan chose to wipe it off shortly after and, as a precaution, decided to avoid stopping immediately after toll booths where such encounters are more common. Overall, his story sparked curiosity and discussion, offering a glimpse into the unpredictability and resilience that is often required in solo travel across diverse regions.

 

 

Tea Kadai 04 - A week of casual meet

 

On 8th January 2026, the tea shop felt a bit empty. The doctor didn’t come, and Senthil, the banker, was also absent. Still, the rest of us gathered as usual and chatted without any clear direction. Soon the talk turned to love and death. Ravindra quoted some famous person, saying a man becomes mature only when he learns to love death. Mr. Shridhar added that a man actually dies twice—once at marriage and again at the end of life. He also said love begins not in college, but in school.

When Ravindra asked Sundararajan about his college romance, Sundararajan got irritated and asked why Ravindra always talked about love. Ravindra shot back, loudly, that it was his constitutional right to talk about any subject he wished. An awkward silence followed. Shridhar quickly calmed things down, saying there was no point getting upset when all of us already had one foot in the grave—it was better to laugh. Mr. Gururaj, who had just come for tea, caught the last part of the discussion, and soon after, we all dispersed for the day.

On 9^th January evening the forum met as usual but was totally subdued due to yesterday’s uproar and the subsequent discussions of the incident over WhatsApp chat wherein our freelance journalist was not willing to accept that his angry reaction was not called for and he kept insisting that we have no right to give him sermon as it is constitutional right to express his views and thoughts about others. A quite day of tea and samosa at the tea kadai.

10^th January evening we all met as usual and we had a guest Dr Panigraha , an oncologist who has come to visit his son who is staying in the villas which are for multi-generational accommodations within the gated community of Ashiana Shubhum and studying medicine at the SRM university nearby. Casual conversations took place till the time of dispersion.

I did not visit on 11^th January as I had gone to the city and could not get back till late evening and thereby, I missed meeting the regulars at the tea kadai.

12^th January evening the forum met as usual and the conversation today drifted towards the amount of water that needs to be drunk in a day by an adult male. Journalist stated 6 litres as per a doctor he met outside whereas our doctor said that the maximum fluid intake has to be 4 litres and as per Google it states 3.7 litres for male but Ravindra was not willing to accept this and he question Dr Panigraha who had also come today and his opinion was between 5 to 6 litres. It was quite evident that each had their own opinion and there was no consensus in arriving at the quantum of water intake. The conversation ended with this topic and all of us dispersed for the day after our usual sip of tea / coffee and snacks. 

13^th January both me and Dr Mohandas reached the shop at about 4.10 pm just to see a board tied on the shutter of the shop stating that the shop would be closed from 13^th to 17^th January on account of Pongal celebration as the tea master Guru is traveling to his home town Madurai. We just sat outside the shop and had small talks and also Doctor was checking my bridge camera and its operations and he was quite amazed by the zoom it has… I do have a Canon Power shot for which I paid just Rs 33000/- whereas Doctors has a much costlier camera because it is a SLR with a prime lens. I have always felt that the camera I have suits my purpose as I am just an amateur photographer and with built in zoom it is good for my wildlife photography and I never felt the need of having a SLR with large lenses. 

 

 

Tea Kadai Episode 02 Jan 4th 2026

 

                                            

 

  

Today is the day of introductions. There is Vibra Narayanan, the owner of the café; Guru, the skilled hand behind every cup of tea and coffee; Dr Mohandas, a general physician with a passion for photography; Ravindra, a freelance journalist and quoter of famous personalities quotes; Senthil, a former banker; Sundararajan better known as Chellappa—a retired professor from Delhi’s distance learning faculty; and finally, me, Ramesh, a retired building services engineer.

This evening, however, the doctor was absent. The rest of us gathered as usual, settling in while waiting for our tea. As we sat there, a mother and her differently abled son, around 32 years old, walked into the shop. The lady ordered a ginger lemon tea, explaining that her throat was irritated after watching a movie at the clubhouse, where the air-conditioning had not been working.

Guru mentioned that the tea would take a little time to prepare, and in that brief pause, the conversation naturally drifted toward the various issue’s residents had been facing. The lady spoke about the maintenance team—their slow response and what she felt was a general lack of concern for residents’ problems.

Her words resonated immediately with the journalist among us, who was already frustrated by ongoing issues with the cooking gas supply to his flat and this story is for another day. He became animated, voicing his anger and accusing the maintenance service provider of inefficiency and even fraudulent practices.

The discussion grew louder and more intense, opinions overlapping as freely as the aroma of brewing tea. By the time the conversation finally settled, it was time for us to disperse.

Thus, ended another evening at the tea kadai without the presence doctor, but rich in conversation, shared grievances, and the quiet assurance that tomorrow would bring another cup of tea and another story to tell.