Tucked into a quiet lane in Serampore, West Bengal, is a tea stall unlike any other: for more than a century, it has functioned without staff, salaries, or formal management. Its owner, Ashoke Chakrabarti, opens the shop each morning, then leaves the running of it to a circle of local residents and loyal patrons. 

These volunteers—primarily retirees and long-time visitors—take turns making chai, serving customers, collecting payments, and keeping the place tidy. There’s no roster, no pay, no oversight: just an unspoken trust and shared sense of community. Over its hundred-year span, not once has there been a recorded case of unpaid dues. The tea stall also doubles as an adda—a cozy meeting spot where conversations bloom, debates spark up, and stories are exchanged over cups of chai. 

What makes this story especially remarkable is how such a simple act of faith has persisted through generations, defying modern notions of business and transaction. This International Tea Day, the Serampore stall stands as a humble yet powerful reminder: in a world driven by commerce, sometimes trust, community, and shared purpose can sustain what money cannot.