Last Cup Of Tea

 LAST CUP OF TEA

(Based on a True Story:)

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Pune Station, 2018

There was a tea stall just outside Pune railway station.

The owner was Ramesh Anna- 62 years old, with one disabled leg.

He would open his stall every morning at 5:00 AM and close it at 11:00 PM.

A cup of tea cost 5 rupees... and came with one complimentary thing: a "Smile."

People would come, drink tea, talk for 10 minutes, and leave with a lighter heart.

Someone once told him, "Anna, you are a psychiatrist."

Anna would just smile and say, "No, my child, I am just a tea vendor". But I have seen suffering... that's why I put less sugar and more love into my tea."

One day, a 25-year-old boy arrived. An engineer.

He was dressed in a suit, but his eyes were swollen as if he had been crying all night.

He said, "Anna, one cutting tea. Make it strong."

Anna served him the tea. The boy finished it in a single gulp.

He pulled a 100-rupee note out of his pocket, placed it on the table, and said:

"Anna, keep the change. This is my last cup of tea."

Anna’s hands trembled. He stopped washing the cups.

He asked, "My child, where are you heading ?"

The boy smiled a hollow, dry smile. "Under a train.

I lost my job. My girlfriend left me. My family is drowning in debt. What is the point of living ?"

Anna stepped out of the stall, limping.

He took the boy by the hand and led him behind the stall. There lay an old, tattered diary.

Anna said, "Read this."

The First Page of Anna’s Diary 1985.

Today, my leg got crushed under a truck. The doctors said, ' We have to amputate.'

My wife was 8 months pregnant. We had exactly 23 rupees in the house.

That night, I went up to the hospital roof, intending to jump.

Just then.......my wife called—'Listen, the baby is kicking. It's telling its father to fight.'

I broke down in tears and came back down.

The next day I lost my leg...... but I didn't lose my courage.

I sat outside the station with two pots and a kettle. I shouted,   "Tea'' "Tea ''......

First day—I earned 17 rupees. I cried.........

but I survived."

The Second Page of the Diary 1993

Today, my wife passed away from cancer. I was left with a 6-year-old boy. People said, 'Put the child in an orphanage.'

I replied, 'I may have lost a leg, but I won't lose my fatherhood.'

I sold tea day and night.

I educated my son and made him an Engineer.

Today, he is in America. He tells me, 'Dad, come live with me.'

I tell him, 'Son, who will look after my customers ? Who will listen to their sorrows?'"

The Last Page of the Diary 2018 

Today, I turned 62. I am missing a leg. My wife is gone. My son is far away.

Yet, every day, 200 people call me 'Anna.'

I listen to their grief, serve them tea, and tell them, 'Live, my child.'

I have never met God... but I meet the divine within humanity every single day.

That is why I am still alive, and I am happy.

Because I still have something to 'give'- "tea and time."

The boy began to cry uncontrollably like a little child after reading the diary.

Anna said, "My child, you have two hands, two legs, and a degree... and yet you want to die?

What did I have? 23 rupees and a severed leg.

But I didn't sit around crying over what I didn't have; I kept using what I did have.

You must do the same. 

Lost your job ?...... Find another.

The girl left?...... A better one will come along.

But once life is gone, .......... it never returns.

Anna returned his 100-rupee note and gave him a free cup of tea.

He said, "This is the 'tea of life.' Don't finish it in a rush......sip it slowly."

Today, that boy is a Manager at a major company in Bangalore.

He calls Anna every single month. And whenever he visits Pune, his very first stop is Anna's stall.

He orders two cups of tea—one for himself, and one for Anna.

And he always says,

"Anna, your 5-rupee cup of tea saved my 5-million-rupee life."

5 Life Lessons from this True Story:

1. Everyone faces challenges... it's not about the problem, it's about the perspective.

Anna lost a leg, but he didn't lose his vision. You lost a job, but you didn't lose your life. Stop counting what is "gone"... start using what is "left."

2. A person who attempts suicide isn't 'weak'... they are 'alone'.

That boy just needed someone to listen to him. Anna gave him 10 minutes, and the boy gained 10 years. Sometimes, 1 cup of tea = 1 life saved.

Learn to listen.

3. God comes to help in the form of a human being.

The divine itself manifested through Anna. Recognize the God within human beings before looking for one in temples. It could be a tea vendor, an auto driver, a postman... anyone.

4.  The one who "gives" is never poor.

Anna is missing a leg, yet he makes 200 people smile every day. You have everything, yet you don't bring joy to a single soul. Wealth isn't in your wallet... it's in your behavior.

5. There is no such thing as a "last cup of tea".

As long as you breathe, there is a chance for a "new beginning." 

You are the one calling it the "End"- God has only written an "Interval" so far.

Anna’s Final Message For You:

"My children, life is like a cutting tea...

Sometimes it will taste bitter, sometimes it will taste sweet...

But don't throw it away; sip it slowly..........

Because the very last sip is always the sweetest......

It is called 'Experience.'"

Received this true story via a WhatsApp forwarded message. Thanks to the author for sharing this important message.

We often say- "it's not my cup of tea" when we do not know how to handle or cope with something.

But, situations and life is much more than a "cup of tea".

If we do not like the tea preparation, we can throw it away and order a fresh cup with our specifications, ensuring that it is suited to our taste/health.

We need to do much more with life. 

I console myself that everything is for the best. If things don't go my way, they are as per God's plan and everything will be fine at the end. I believe in "happy ending", do you too? 

Do you like tea? Cheers!