Chicago tea with a spoonful of Communism

Think Chennai, think filter coffee. While any Chennaite would swear by this fact, the steaming hot cuppa tea is also making its presence felt in the city. The Chicago Tea Stall run by a Malayali is proof of that. The first branch of this tea stall was started at the Kamarajar Avenue way back in 1987. "Now we have five branches," says Thaya Turuthi Sukumaran, the man behind the Chicago Tea Stall.

The fancy name of the tea stall has a story behind it. "It all started in Chicago, where the first protests by slaves for eight-hour work shifts broke out," he says. A card-holding Communist, Sukumaran has a story to tell of the struggles of workers and he says that he does not want any of his workers to suffer or go through the tough times that he and his generation went through.

"I have been interested in Communism from 1970, when I was in class 10," he says with a smile. "I participated in all rallies, protesting injustice in land deals in Kerala and was in jail for 10 days at 17." He recalls that Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was also in the jail with him. "I had seven cases on me even while I was in school," he says matter-of-factly. "I have been arrested 52 times," he adds.

Sukumaran grew up with seven siblings in Thalassery, Kerala, where his father toiled on an acre of land. He also helped his father till the land and would then carry the vegetables on his head and sell them. But his parents were worried about his political leanings. So, his father decided to send him to Chennai, where he first joined his uncle's tea shop and worked there for three years. "He would pay me only Rs 15 per month. But I mastered the art of making good tea," he says.

Soon, he joined the Mandevalli Tea Shop as a tea master at a princely salary of Rs. 7.50 per day. A tea master is one who makes tea and serves people. "Here, three of us got together and started a union," he says. The need must have been urgent for, within four years, there were 2,000 members.

He then shifted to Santosh Tea Stall at Adyar. The owner was a drunkard and would rarely be at the shop. Once a young boy working in the shop hurt his hand and asked for day's leave to visit the doctor. Not only did the owner refuse the boy leave, he thrashed him, too. Sukumaran and a couple of men immediately complained to the police. It was 1982, and he was a party card holder by then.

"I filed a lot of cases, including against 80 shops," he says. When the police came to the shop, they sided with the owner. "They were about to beat me when they realised that I was a CITU member. Luckily, there was no case against me," he says. All Sukumaran and the others wanted was an apology letter from the shop owner, but instead, he fired them, and filed a case in the labour court.

"Since we were jobless, five of us got together and opened a tea shop. At this point of time, the director of the Tamil film Kunguma Chimil needed a shot of a tea stall and Sukumaran featured in the film. The year was 1985. The Santosh Tea Stall owner saw this shot and filed a case saying that though there was a case against them, they were working and even appeared in a film. Sukumaran's lawyer, however, countered, “The tea was hot and so he was just cooling it." Sukumaran won the case in 1985 and the owner had to give them Rs 60,000 as compensation. Though he claimed bankruptcy, he finally agreed to pay Rs 3,000 each month for 20 months.

At his own tea stall, Sukumaran held monthly meetings "more to tell that the customer is god and there there should be no complaints against the customer or no complaints against the worker". May Day is an important day for them, when there is no shop and yet they serve customers with food and tea and also distribute bags to schoolchildren.

The small but warm Chicago Tea Stall has a tray full of fried goodies laid out at the front, even as a man is busy making tea, rather 'mile high tea', at the counter. But goodwill pervades the place—the waiters look pleasant and are ready to help you with Sukumaran's address. He has three sons and each of them are in different professions. Two of them are party cardholders and they encourage their father to continue with the good work. His wife commutes between Chennai and Thalassery, now that there are grandchildren to take care of.

More than the tea stall, what truly deserves mention is how Sukumaran takes care of his workers. "I do not want them to suffer the way we did and they should be looked after," he says. The workers get free accommodation and food. They also get one month's salary as bonus. While the head cook receives Rs 740 a day, the tea master gets Rs 540 and each server at least Rs 400 a day. They work nine hours a day.

Other incentives include a meal at any five-star hotel on May Day and Rs 2,000 a year as clothes allowance. Those who have worked for 300 days in a year get a 2gm gold ring as gift. It helps that he is a Communist, for he believes all workers should be happy. Incidentally, if any of his workers shows entrepreneurial skills, Sukumaran sets up a stall for him and lets him run it. They pay Sukumaran a rent. Of the five branches of Chicago Tea Stall, two are run by his workers.

“Earlier, there used to be a registrar's office nearby, and so, business was good. Not now,” says Sukumaran. He is the joint secretary of the Tea Stall Owners Union, which, he says, extends all kinds of help to the needy.