Favorite Tea Shop of My Homeland

Café Lune

A café from the post independence era

There are many French restaurants lifted every year around the white town at Pondicherry, but only very few know that café lune is the first French named café started in Pondicherry at 1960. When I entered the café for the first time, undeniably I stepped back to 1980’s period which is not frequent scene you encounter in the French colonized city.

Brother for life 

A quick go through the café will give you a glimpse of 80’s style of interior which left unchanged for decades. Anwerdin and Ansari are two brothers who otherwise called as cleaners, servants, cashiers and pride owners of café lune. Café lune started at 1960 by their father C.A. Gaffur. “Café lune means coffee on moon”. Elder brother with 8^thgrade and younger brother with SSLC took the responsibility of running the café at 1970.

Café lune welcome visitors with a signboard with a social message on it given by foreign authors and local authors. Brother’s sense of humor fetched them fan following around the town. Building good rapport with local and foreign nationals is an uncommon habit among tea serving persons which helped them to learn French in a unique way. Inspired by the service and immaculate nature of the café, Foreign nationals make it a habit to visit this café on their every subsequent visit to Pondicherry.

Memory of the brothers goes to an extend that they greet the visitor by their names flawlessly and making them feel delighted by preparing them what they had ordered on their previous visit, without taking prior orders from them. Café lune does not have lucratively prepared menu to serve, but their courteous service at small scale help them indefinitely to withhold the business for more than 40 years. Most interestingly they agree to allow smoking inside the café but talking no sense making politics is strictly prohibited. 

Kamarajar visit to café 

They pat each other to share that former chief minister kamarajar once visited their café during his visit to Pondicherry. Tea and coffee sold for 10 paisa at 1960 is now sold for Rs.10. they also add that profit is almost their last option, their sole purpose of running this café is to keep them active all through the day and free from getting sick. Their day starts at 4am with yoga.

As technology grows and the chemical adulteration in food substances grows loftily, because of which they cannot re-produce the same taste they had in those days.

Change is the one thing that never change, but café lune could be a exception to the aforesaid line. They don’t rush for change.

Café runs with same menu unchanged since 1960 and leaving Marble table with brick built seats attached to walls, fridges, broilers, mirrors and fans as their valuable antique possessions, was purchased during 80’s still functions steadily. 

On asking how they could manage to stay together in this tiny business after these many years, they said “broad mind and loving nature helped them to travel together all this year" On asking why things never changed since startup of the café? We are never interested making huge money, but a decent money to survive and make a simple living

People calls this café with different names, such as, Annan Thambi kadai, Pazhamozhi(Proverb) kadai, Idiyapam kadai etc.,

One could find a rare touch in the lemon tea served with herbal ingredients. One can smell a diversified crowd in the café, from sweepers to educated government officials, foreign nationals, youth and sometimes politicians. They never mind of the meager loss they make in recent times, they just want their legacy running as long as it runs. It is unfortunate to know that café lune will not carry forwarded after their generation.