Most of the ricksha guys who finish work late in the night sleep in the rickshas and after completing natures call at a Mound opp Rang Sharda .they all collect here for tea .. she charges Rs 6 full glass.
I have known her for many years and that is part of another interesting story ,, a poor destitute the Umbrella lady used to sit at the side of her stall under an Umbrella , the most iconic silent figure on Bandra Reclamation.. She could barely stand up so she did all her lifes chores at that place even bathing..and she never begged , people gave her food tea and money.
Both my grand daughters Marziya and Nerjis would give their pocket money to her , and they would shoot her too.. Every time I passed her I would give her money,,, she never spoke to me at all.
One day a few months back I did not see her I assumed she must have fallen sick and they must have taken her to the Municipal Hospital.. but I came to know from this tea lady that she had died and the Municipal Hearse had taken her body away.. I felt sad as I documented the Umbrella Lady of Bandra Reclamation for a very long time ,,,My grand daughters missed her too but now they give their pocket money to the two old senior beggars of Bandra -Khwajah Bhai and Jaffar Bhai.
Well back to the Tea Lady I asked her if I could take a picture and write a few lines about her she politely said Yes and I took this hasty shot on my mobile phone her stall outside is full of rickshah guys ,, and a man assists her but mostly she serves the tea.
And I bought up the topic of the Umbrella Lady and she gave me news that will shock you too.. the Umbrella lady had a sack full of money about Rs 400000 that was taken away by the guys who took her body and belongings ,,and this is the story of a Mumbai destitute ,,or even a beggar who dies on the roads .. Where does the money go?
And I left her thanking her for allowing me to take her picture , though she said if she was given the money she would have distributed it back to the poor , but she was not there when the body was taken away ,,, the only confidante of the Umbrella Lady was this Tea Lady ,, the only Lady tea seller of Bandra Reclamation.
And the set on the Umbrella Lady Of Bandra Reclamation is
