kolkata: The water begins to boil on the stove as Tuktuki patiently puts it down and starts adding the tea leaves and sugar in the saucepan. Few customers surround her quaint little stall as she readies to serve her customers, hot cup of tea along with few cookies.
Tuktuki Das’ parents always pushed her to study hard so she could touch the sky. They wanted her to become a teacher; she studied hard and fared well in her exams and earned her MA in English.
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But even with her MA degree, Tuktuki could not land a job. She attempted many exams, tried everything possible, but could not manage to break through. Finally, she decided to sell tea.
She opened the shop in Habra station in North 24 Parganas. If one were to go Habra station, they would see the banner of Tuktuki’s shop that reads ‘MA English Chaiwali’.
Tuktuki, however did not succumb to the dissatisfaction of not landing a job and devoted all her energy towards her plan. She was inspired by the story of an ‘MBA chaiwala’ about whom she read on the Internet.
"No job is small, and I find nothing unusual in my job," says Tuktuki. Aspired to expand her business, Tuktuki's story of resilience and aiming high in her life even after not getting any job, has inspired many.
Her father Prashanto Das said, “Initially I was not happy with her decision, as we educated her with the hop that she would become a teacher and sjhe ended up wanting to sell tea. I reconsidered and thought that if this is her decision so as to become self-reliant, then that’s good”. People who go to have tea at Tuktuki’s shop gravitate towards it for its name, with many commuters at the station agreeing with her motto of self-reliance. They, too, are of the opinion that Tuktuki’s story could be inspirational towards other well-qualified youth in the country who are not able to secure a job for themselves.
