Meet Laxman Rao - The Delhi Chaiwallah Who Has Written 24 Books And Still Runs His Tea Stall
Not one to be bogged down by poverty and not one to gloat about his achievements, Laxman Rao is the coolest chaiwalla in town and there¡¯s a lot that we can learn from him.
There are many inspiring stories from India. Stories of students studying under a street light, those of authors whose manuscripts get rejected over and over again and of chaiwallahs. Delhi has one such incredible story of a man in his 60s, a chaiwalla on the street to earn money and, an author of 24 books based on his life experiences.
It won¡¯t be an exaggeration to call him Delhi¡¯s most popular chaiwalla - for his passion to write has attracted a lot of attention. Besides, he has been honoured by many dignitaries, including Indira Gandhi and Pratibha Patil. Also, there are many elite visitors to his tea stall in the bustling ITO area. They visit him for his warm milky cup of chai and, to chit-chat with him about his interesting observations of life.
Here's what he had to share with Indiatimes in an exclusive interview, over tea...
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"My passion for reading developed when I was in Class 8. I remember vivaciously reading Gulshan Nanda Upanyas - a popular Indian novelist and also a screenwriter of some of the popular Hindi films like Kati Patang, Khilona and Daag among others. I was studying in Hindi-medium and went on reading many more popular writers like Sharad and Munshi Premchand who inspired me. I also read Time Magazine and William Shakespeare at that time."
The journey from his town to the big city was not an easy one. "I worked with a doctor in Amravati district in Maharashtra for five years. I was 10th standard pass till this time. Then, I went to work in a textile mill for another five years. Before trying other odd jobs in Delhi since 1975, I finally decided to make a living with selling tea in ITO in 1980. It was the most profitable business for me, to feed my family. It was in Delhi only when I decided to become an upanayskar (novelist). My journey had just started then."
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Despite being rejected by several well-known publishers, he never lost heart. "As I said before, it was not easy for an ordinary person to approach big publishing houses. I was turned down many times, as people from a simple background, are perhaps not perceived as writers anyways. Also, I feel there are few readers for Hindi literature, which was another deterrent to publishing my first book. However, that didn¡¯t stop me. I decided to publish my first book on my own. My first self-publish novel was released in 1979."
His best-selling novel, Ramdas sold 4,000 copies!
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"Ramdas was published by the Bhartiya Sahitya Kala Prakashan in 1992, and it was re-published four times, as it gained immense popularity", Rao says. "The book has also been conferred with the Indraprastha Sahitya Bharti Award in the year 2003. It was about a boy called Ramdas, who drowned in a village. I was a witness to the incident. This novel is based on a real life story. Ramdas was a characterless teenage boy. But a teacher of his school completely reformed him and he became favourite student of all the teachers. His accidental death left the entire village in a state of shock."
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"I have written 24 books till date. Out of which, 12 books have been published and 6 books have been re-published. Today, my books are available on Amazon, Flipkart, and are also available on Kindle (with English translation)."
And there is variety in his writing as well. "I have so far written on crime, short-fiction, literature, romance, philosophy and mythology to name a few. Some of my other popular titles are Narmada, Abhivyakti, Dansh, Renu, Ahankaar and Drishtikon."
His talent and dedication have found him famous patrons!
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"I met the honorable Prime Minister of India in May 1984. I was informed that Mrs. Indira Gandhi is impressed with my work and dedication, and has personally invited me to meet her in Teen Murti Bhawan. She was a very humble person and encouraged me to write more. When I expressed my desire to write a book on her; she told me to write a book on her work rather than her life. I wrote a natak (play) on PM, which was published. However, I could not present to her my writing on her tenure as the Prime Minister of India from 1969-72, as she was shot dead before that."
"I have been bestowed with awards from many NGO¡¯s and also had the honor of receiving recognition from the former Indian President Mrs. Pratibha Patil on 23rd January 2009."
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Even at 60, Rao's journey continues, "I had completed by education in Marathi medium till the 10th standard. I am a graduate from Delhi University now. I recently completed M.A. in Hindi Literature from IGNOU in August this year. I also plan to pursue a PHD and gain command in English and other languages."
