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Tonga mama and we @ EWU

Yamin Tauseef Jahangir

His hazel eyes scanned the morning sky, the crimson shades made him feel ecstatic. He was waiting for this time, waited all night long, everyday it's the same story, his regular chore which he just loved doing. The dawn of a new morning, but his job was the same, and he knew once it started there would be no stopping. A faint smile appeared on his face, the sun was shooting its' golden rays and his face enlightened when he saw the figures approaching.

A group of university students scuttling along the road making their way towards his 'Tonga'. He greeted them with a heartfelt smile and they appreciated. Catching the morning class was never easy and at that time the teastall was more than an oasis in a desert. The students had drowsy eyes and he was the ultimate hope for them.

“Mama how's life?” a student spoke up,” make three cups of your special lemon tea and don't forget to give the ginger pieces as well.” Mama smiled; the tea was his specialty and they only wanted it to break free from their lazy world. With his dexterous hands he prepared the tea, some students got hold of some bananas and hurriedly gulped them. In no time the group just disappeared into thin air; he knew that usually happened when you were late for class.

Life was so much fun for the 'Tonga Mama' at EWU (East West University). May be people hardly have noticed him carefully or even have spoken to him, but he had experienced a different taste of life. Almost everyone have once in a while visited a tonga (tea stall) located in every nook and corner of the university, starting from the students, staff and also the faculty. It is in this very place where you'll get to see a different scenario. A tonga is a small four wheeler van where the person sitting is being addressed as 'mama' and now I think that person even forgot his real name! Nevertheless, it's quite fun being at a tonga; the tea is very different as a lot of ingredients are put into it, then there are small snacks and banana is mandatory. There are small benches and can easily accommodate a group of seven to eight. When I spoke to mama, he shared some interesting facts that I never thought of before. He classified different category of students; some are always very busy with their studies, when they come at his place there isn't a single day when he didn't see a single sheet of paper in their hands. Well he liked this, because academic issues should get top priority. Then there are the average group, consisting of very few people, some worried about their quiz marks and others waiting anxiously to sip the tea . The 'fazil' group is unique according to him, they never care for studies, always managing to keep a smiling face and least bothered about passing exams and other things. For them life is indeed a bed of roses, and he sometimes wondered when would they graduate! Last but not least he spoke about the love doves! They don't frequently visit him and often have a hyper sensitive nose; they can smell the lemon tea from few feet distance but hardly will make a move for it. The only reason is they are very busy with understanding the concept of opposite attraction. Therfore seldom he gets the privilege to make them taste the magical tea. It was as if he wanted to be the cupid of love with the tea acting as the arrow!

The tonga definitely gives you a wonderful chance to 'addafy', put your heads together with serious group discussions and have some romance in the air. For mama, this is what he does best, and at EWU life cannot be better than this. Apart from his so called 'delicacies' the environment inside the four wheeler is all that keeps you spinning around! So the next time when you visit EWU, don't forget to have a glance at the tonga, who knows may be the smell of the tea and an enigmatic smile of a familiar person will make your feet change their direction.

N.B. Photo Courtesy: Easel, EWU