Tea prepared the old fashioned way
View(s):Ponnaiah Mahalingam 73 years old now, born in Jaffna, started a tea shop business opposite the Batticaloa railway station in 1966. He returned to Jaffna and established a tea shop in 1973.
Looking at his old copper boiler as he prepares the tea, Mr. Mahalingam says copper boiler tea is tasty compared to tea prepared by other modern utensils.
There are 150-200 regular customers especially farmers who come to the market to market their products, who drop into his ‘kade’ to enjoy a cup made the old fashioned way. Mr. Mahalingam, who provides tasty vadai along with tea, has a son who has settled down in London while his three daughters are doing government jobs – teacher, postmaster and management assistant at a local government office.
Text and pic by N. Parameswaram