I moved to Noida in 2019, when I started working for the first time. My house was located in one of the many small gullies of Arun Vihar in Sector 37, and was only a stone’s throw away from the infamous ‘tea shop market’. The area has around a dozen eateries that offer a variety of cuisines and is constantly brimming with students, families, and people of all ages. Officially named Godavari Market, the area has lovingly come to be known as the ‘tea shop market’ after the Teasta Tea Shop.
In an unfamiliar city, this tea shop was a safe space. I worked night shifts, so getting a tall glass of freshly brewed tea, and occasionally the hazelnut cold coffee, with a plate of steaming chicken momos every evening before heading for work became a daily ritual for my flatmate and me. When I look back on the two years I spent in the bustling city, visiting the Teasta Tea shop always emerges as the highlight.
Even with the gradual increase in tea rooms and other such cafes in the…