Coffee Cartoonist in Kolkata
On my recent trip to Kolkata, I had one unusual but heartfelt item on my bucket list: meeting the man everyone calls the Coffee Cartoonist. Tucked outside the Tollygunge Metro Station, his tiny stall had already become a local legend. And the moment I reached it, I understood why.
The first thing that caught my eye wasn’t the coffee machine. It was the wall of hand-drawn cartoons—whimsical, sharp, witty, almost mischievous. Each sketch felt like a glimpse into Kolkata’s spirit: lively, humorous, curious, and unapologetically real. And right in the middle of it all stood Shyama Prasad Dey, the artist-turned-coffee-maker whose life story is far richer than the little blue kiosk he runs.
Dey didn’t set out to become an artist with a storefront. Life nudged him there. Years ago, he helped his father sell books near the same metro station. When the business slowed and the world around him shifted during Covid, he leaned into the one thing that never left him—his love for drawing. That passion soon found an unexpected partner: coffee. With almost no resources, he built a stall that served brews and laughter with equal warmth.
When I ordered my coffee, he smiled and immediately asked, “Caricature lagbe?”
That’s his charm. Every customer feels seen. If you want, he’ll sketch your face in a minute or two. If you don’t, he’ll still gift you a smile.
His coffee? Simple. Strong. Unpretentious. The kind that tastes better because of the human connection behind it. As I stood there sipping, commuters kept stopping by—some for caffeine, some for conversation, some just to admire the art on the walls. His stall has quietly become a community corner, a pause point in a fast city.
What touched me most was the honesty in his craft. No branding. No PR. No fancy setup. Just a man who turned creativity into livelihood, and livelihood into connection. He doesn’t chase trends. He simply creates—every day, with the same enthusiasm.
Walking away, I realized this stop wasn’t just about the coffee. It was about celebrating someone who turned a pavement into a gallery and a cup into a canvas. In a city known for its culture, his little stall adds a chapter of its own—warm, vibrant, authentic.
If you’re ever in Kolkata, put this on your bucket list too. The coffee is decent, but the story you take home is even better.
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