Selling tea brings fortune to Shahidullah at old Dhaka

No matter how small it could be, developing a business reputation and sticking to it may yield you good fortune! This is what exactly happened to a tea seller of old Dhaka.

The tea vendor, Shahidullah (61), now owns three businesses in Dhaka.

He was a 6-month old toddler when he came to Dhaka with his parents in 1960. His father came to this city in search of work. Shahidullah is the second son of his father. He has three sisters.

There was not much work to do in the city, the provincial capital of the erstwhile East Pakistan. The family was in a dire strait. He used to work as a child labour at the age of six. He had taken the helm of the world with his elder brother.

he grew a little, he used to buy coconuts from Shyambazar wholesale market and sell them elsewhere. But then the profit margin was quite scanty. Therefore, he started working at a rickshaw workshop and used to make Tk 5 a day in the 1980s.

Such a wage did not have much impact on his family's welfare. His workshop job was followed by a women's handbag making factory. He tried in many ways to take care of his family but could not do enough.

It was when one morning he came to a restaurant---Mukta Hotel, for breakfast. He saw someone preparing tea from a kettle. It clicked! He visualized what it would look like to have a small tea shop of his own. “At least I have my own business,” he thought.

He spent no further time browsing for ideas. Shahidullah bought three tea kettles, a packet of powdered milk, some sugar and tea leaves to make tea.

One fine Sunday of April in 1980 at the age of 20, he rented a shop at Nastar Lane of Tantibazar. He paid the landlord Tk 8,000 as security money and Tk 3,000 monthly rent. He started selling tea there. And, he did not look back!

That was how a tea shop owner Shahidullah’s journey had started decades ago. He started his own business by sweating head to toe year after year. From a small tea shop, he now owns three businesses. His blossomed business stumbled in the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, he is not a man to accept a rate. He knows well how to turn around with his ‘cup of tea.’

As you meander through the ghee patti (butter oil corner) of Shankhari Bazar, you will come across Shahidullah who has won the battle of struggle, fair and square.

In 1988 he got married to an ordinary woman.

Shahidullah said the tea shop started some 41 years ago. With the profits of this business, he set up three shops, one in Tantibanzar Nastar Lane, another at Ghee Patti in Shankhari Bazar and the third one at Sadarghat.

With the money he accumulated, one of his sons used to study at Daffodil University while another son has been studying at Rampura Ideal School. His eldest son owns a Punjabi shop at Sadarghat.

With a heavy note he said that his boys are not continuing their studies for various reasons. Shahidullah said, "I had been indebted during the pandemic and to recover from it, I sold my Punjabi shop of Sadarghat. Now, I am trying to turn around with these two tea shops.”

These stalls approximately sell a total of 2,500 to 3,000 cups of tea a day. At Shahidullah Tea Shop you will get common milk, lemon, green tea and coffee. You can have many more snacks with tea such as biscuits, cakes, chips etc.

As this correspondent visited his tea shop, a customer said, "I am his regular customer…I have been drinking tea here for a long time."

Earlier, a cup of tea was selling at Tk 5 but last month it was increased to Tk 7.

Keeping the Covid-19 pandemic in mind, Shahidullah now uses paper cups. A paper cup of tea will cost you Tk 10. Those who are more cautious about their safety and health issues, use paper cups.