: The Tea-Seller Who Saved Lives During 26/11 Needs Your Help to Stay in Mumbai #IndiaNEWS #Lede I owe my life to this loving city. It has given me a dignified life, millions of smiling customers and

The Tea-Seller Who Saved Lives During 26/11 Needs Your Help to Stay in Mumbai #IndiaNEWS #Lede
I owe my life to this loving city. It has given me a dignified life, millions of smiling customers and an unforgettable memory of 26/11. I never imagined leaving this city on a bitter note. But the situation has forced me to think about ending this beautiful journey,??? says Chottu Chaiwala aka Toufiq Shaikh, a tea vendor from Mumbai.
39-year-old Toufiq, who was once hailed as a 26/11 hero, is one of the millions of people who are at the receiving end of this global pandemic.
Mumbai, in particular, has witnessed a major spike in coronavirus cases due to which the city’s lifeline, local trains have completely stopped working and hence there are no customers. Plus, thanks to work from home, customers have drastically reduced.
Just a month before the lockdown, Toufiq opened a new stall and spent nearly Rs 1,00,000 to stock up: wafers, water bottles, biscuits, etc. Since the stall was placed right next to the tea shop near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) railway station, a prime location, the business was picking up before it all went downhill.

“Before the lockdown, I used to use 60 litres of milk daily and made 100 cups of tea. But now I barely use 10 litres. When the lockdown was imposed in March, I was hopeful things would get better, so I did not even lay off my staff. I ended up taking loans to meet expenses. And now I have no option but to sell everything and go back home,??? Toufiq, who is presently earning a bare minimum by selling tea in a flask, tells The Better India.
Toufiq has employed 11people for this tea stall, of whom he helped eight return to their native towns when the lockdown norms were relaxed.
He has three school-going daughters and a wife, who works as domestic help. However, the lockdown has affected her monthly income as some of her employers have fired her.
In the last six months, Toufiq has borrowed nearly Rs 3,00,000 to pay salaries to support his family and employees.
Pradeep Deorao Kothalkar, his long-time friend and a railway official, lent Rs 20,000 to Toufiq.
“We became friends in 2002 when I was posted in CST’s ticket counter department as an accountant. Over the years, we bonded over his tea and after some years I was transferred to another city but we kept in touch. Knowing the lockdown woes, I came to know about his problems. He did not even have the money to buy sweets for his kids during Eid. We all need to help each other and I did my bit,??? Pradeep, who is currently posted as an assistant account in Nashik’s Manmad Railway Account Department, tells The Better India.
While Pradeep gave the money without expecting anything in return, Toufiq hopes to return it as soon as possible.

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