Books by a tea vendor- Whatever it takes?

Pic By: Rahul Anand

Pouring endless cups of tea for customers, Laxman Rao looks like any other tea vendor on a busy road of the capital. But looks can be deceptive and Rao proves that. This tea vendor has authored 18 books till date!
Sitting on a low stool at his tea stall near ITO in Delhi, 53-year-old Rao spoke of how he came to run his own publishing house, Bharatiya Sahitya Kala Prakashan."I have been writing short stories, plays and books for 28 or 29 years," Rao smiled and said, as he poured tea into one of the small glasses to a customer.
"In my first book, titled Nayi Duniya Ki Nayi Kahani I poured out my heart. I narrated all the hardships that I had faced and the challenges that I fought to rise to a decent life. That was back in 1979," Rao told IANS.
He went on to write a play, Pradhan Mantri in 1984, which was about his meeting with the then prime minister, the late Indira Gandhi. The play was woven around Gandhi in a social set-up and how her subordinates were responsible for corruption.
Ramdas and Parampara Se Judi Bharatiya Rajniti are some of his other publications.
Born to a family of farmers in Amravti district in Maharashtra, Rao's fondness for Hindi literature saw him complete his matriculation in Hindi medium from the Mumbai University in 1973.
Reminiscing the bygone days, Rao said he was an avid reader and got addicted to Gulshan Nanda's novels early on.