The Chaiwallah Jaipur: A humble tea seller helps his new neighbors find belonging by Tim Van Es

In a bustling Jaipur bazaar, new neighbors find unexpected belonging in the quiet wisdom of a humble tea seller.

Chamki has spent decades recording neighborhood secrets in notebooks. But when she learns of her daughter's pregnancy from another shopkeeper, she must face her own family secret.

After her parents die, thirteen-year-old Leela and her younger brother are sent to live with an uncle in Jaipur. When she overhears his plan to separate them, she will do anything to keep her brother close.

Arvind carries the weight of a childhood trauma. On an astrologer's advice, he quits his career and leaves his parents' home in Delhi. But after several misfortunes, his old, predictable life becomes harder to resist.

When a new tea seller arrives in the bazaar, his fragrant chai, warmth and gentle wisdom draw them in. One cup at a time, he nudges them toward new paths of belonging.

From the author of The Chaiwallah, shortlisted for the 2025 Discovery Editors' Choice Award.