KOCHI: Tea lovers who frequent a small shop in Karumalloor village in North Paravoor have this heartfelt request to an unidentified thief who made off with a copper pot from there the other day — to return the same to the shop owner so that they can once again relish unique tasty tea!
What the thief chose to steal in the wee hours of Thursday was central to the “magic recipe” of brewing tea at the shop.
The vessel, said to be 90 years old, was used to brew tea traditionally using firewood, and the shop is famous in the region for the tea.
The ‘tea lovers’ are so much distracted by the act that they have approached the cops and filed a complaint.
“The shop employs a unique method to brew the tea in the traditional manner with firewood and the large copper pot. This made it a favourite among the locals. Though some big hotels have come up nearby, Ravi Pappan’s shop is still doing a good business. Most of those who deboard the bus at Manakkapady Junction used to stop by the shop to relish a hot brewing tea. Now the magic recipe is missing since the old pot was stolen,” says Laiju K M, ward member of Manakkapady North.
The ‘disappointed’ tea lovers even lodged a complaint with the Alangad police to help get the copper pot back.
“The cops examined the CCTV cameras in the locality and even searched scrap shops in the region. However, the thief is still at large, and the police probe is on,” Laiju adds.
According to locals, the shop was set up by the late Raveendran, a resident of Alumparambil House, 90 years ago. After his demise, his sons Subramanian and Dhanasheelan are running the shop.
“Even the old building has been retained in the same fashion it was constructed in the good old days. The thief made off with the only costly material in the shop, along with a small amount of money that was there in the table drawer. We have only one request -- to return the copper pot so that we won’t miss the hot steam tea which has become a part of the daily life of the locals,” he added.