Yup , mart .
They make & drink 'a ton' of chai every day in India .
An independant vendor usually pays for the 'right' to sell chai at certain locations , such as train/transit stations/stops & many public venues .
It usually involves regular small bribes to 'security' &/or police in the area , and is an honorable yet very poverty-brink business on the streets of India .
It is fairly simple to stock a cart with the basics for the biz ; a teapot or two , water , coal/wood/kerosene , chai & some glasses ... but it's a big deal for the poor of the country to be able to have/run one !
The vendor charges a small fee to each 'chai wallah' , the in-your-face-vendor (point-of-sale) on the street . The chai wallah , as part of his 'right' to sell chai , gets to make sure that the boss has got everything that her/she needs to keep the chai flowing ... at no cost to the boss ....esp the job of hucking around big pots of water .
The same goes for 'home-front' (aka mom&pop) shops where there will typically be a kitchen window in the side of a building with a sill/counter for doing business (aka 'Chaibucks'?) with passers-by .
The owner/boss gets to sit on his duff at the house/shop/cart all day , dispensing from there .
The chai wallahs have a much busier day & will either carry trays with glasses of chai , or will 'wear' a rather large chai dispenser (some with spouts , some with valves/taps) & walk through the streets (sometimes with only a few metal cups) .
Chai wallahs (pretty much the lowest 'rank' employees) are regular employees of many companies in India , where there is a great demand for chai , not just limited to the streets & restaurants & such ... highly connected to Indian culture & history .
Nice spicy drink that can make you sweat !
