Srinagar: Farooq Ahmad is a regular ‘chaiwala’ who sells tea outside the old Saddar Court Complex in Lal Chowk area of the city but his dedication and affection towards his ailing mother makes him a modern day ‘Shravan Kumar’.
Ahmad, a resident of Batamaloo area here, brings his mother Daulat Dee in a wheelchair to his roadside tea stall everyday as he takes care of her with religious zeal.
“It is my religious obligation to take care of my mother as, for me, paradise lies under her feet. God rewards those who are able to take care of their mother,” he said as his mother sat behind him.
The tea seller, who lost his father at the age of 10, even sacrificed his marital life to take care of his mother.
“My wife refused to look after my mother. So, we got separated four years ago. Since then, I take my mother along with me to my tea stall as she is a heart patient and cannot stay alone at home,” he added.
Ahmad has decided not to remarry till his mother is alive.
The tea seller said he has two siblings – a brother and a sister – who are married and live separately elsewhere.
The mother has only kind words for her favourite son.
“I remain here (the tea stall) from morning till evening. We go home together…Farooq serves me well. I go mad if he goes anywhere without me,” the woman in her eighties said.
People who deal with Ahmad, like his milk supplier Shakeel Ahmad, said that the tea seller is a role model for today’s youths.
“I think this is a lesson for today’s generation. It is a blessing of God that he is taking care of his mother in such a manner…everyone is not so lucky,” Shakeel said.
The milkman said he has not seen such love and affection between a mother and son. “He is more than a Shravan Kumar,” he added.
Even customers are moved when they come to know about the tea seller’s story.
“He is the first person I have seen in my life who is taking care of his mother in such a way,” Aijaz Bhat, a customer, said.
While Ahmad has no grudge with his life, he is hoping that the government will provide him a shop so that he can take care of his mother better.
“I have a municipality registration (for the tea stall) and also pay sanitation fees. I ask the administration for help as my mother faces a lot of difficulties especially during winter. The washroom is also far from here,” he said.
