Chakkalakkal Varghese Joseph hardly ever gets five hours of sleep. His roadside tea shop in the southern Indian state of Kerala opens at 5.00 a.m. and closes at 10.00 p.m.
Joseph is used to the hard life. As a teenager, he began working as a mason and, a few years later, became a carpenter and is now the owner of the tea shop.
In between these unending struggles, he married Mary in 1992, and they are happily busy eking out a living and bringing up three children.
“I have strong faith in God,” says the 55-year-old Catholic.
Joseph had been a carpenter for some three decades and also ran timber mills that cut logs into smaller pieces for carpenters to work with.
He began the teashop after his businesses collapsed due to extended lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, the tea shop remains the primary source of income for the family.
Customers, mostly day la-borers and commuters rushing to their faraway workplaces come for hot milk tea, coffee and snacks that Joseph sells at a crossroads in his sleepy Neerikode village.
“My life is full of struggles. But I am happy. I can say that with confidence. These problems will come and go,” says Joseph with a smile.
Besides tea and coffee, Joseph also sells fritters fried in fresh coconut oil. But his bestseller is congee (rice porridge) with vegetable curries that dozens of people buy on their way to the nearby market.
He wouldn’t reveal his average income. “I make just enough to survive,” was all he said with a smile.
Inside his tin-roofed tea shop, Joseph works alone most days. His wife Mary comes to help him only occasionally as she is busy with the household chores.
“I am proud of our children. The bond that I have with them is my greatest strength,” Joseph said.
The eldest is Anu, who is now married and lives with her husband. Their son Anfin recently started working in a private firm and the youngest son Akhil is preparing for university studies.
As a carpenter, he had to travel to distant places, and always took his wife along.