What would be your reaction if asked to eat and drink beside a grave? It would definitely shock you and make you feel uneasy. But a tea shop in Ahmedabad that is surrounded by graves and coffins has managed to normalise what may initially appear to be a morbid atmosphere. Located in the Lal Darwaja area of Ahmedabad, Lucky Tea Stall has been running for over 72 years and was often frequented by artist MF Husain. The stall owner was also gifted a painting by Husain way back in 1994, which still hangs on one of the walls of the shop.
In April, a food vlogger posted a video of the tea shop's interior on his Instagram page @hungrycruisers. He also gave a brief history of the place.
According to @hungrycruisers, "The owner of the restaurant Krishnan Kutti brought this land in Ahmedabad, unaware of the fact that it was a cemetery. However, this revelation did not alter his plan to build a food joint on it. Leaving the graves untouched apart from installing iron bars around them, the owner has built sitting areas around the graves, in the available space. Every morning, the staff cleans all the graves and adorns them with fresh flowers 💐 The place slowly started pacing up and became one of the most loved spots to hang out in the city 🙌🏻”.
Since being shared in April, the clip has amassed thousands of likes and sparked conversations about the joint.
"I have been to this place many times it is just another hotel, nothing special, no one even notices the Graves," commented one user on the post.
"The cuisine here is definitely to “die” for hehe," wrote another user jokingly.
"Lucky tea stall. Man me n my athletes were discussing about this a few minutes before that how our midnight tea haul turned into a shocker," wrote a third.
While a fourth wrote, "this is not the way to show respect to the dead ones."