Maha Kumbh Mela 2025: Meet 'Chai Wale Baba' who’s been offering free IAS coaching while living on tea for 40 years

Chai wale baba at Mahakumbh Mela. (Image Credit: ANI)

A unique figure at the ongoing Mahakumbh Mela, Dinesh Swaroop Brahmachari, popularly known as "Chai Wale Baba", has been empowering civil services aspirants for over 40 years. Remarkably, this tea-seller-turned-ascetic from Pratapgarh has taken a vow of silence and abstains from food, surviving solely on ten cups of tea daily while offering free guidance to aspiring bureaucrats.

Baba uses WhatsApp to share study materials and respond to students’ queries in writing. According to Rajesh Singh, an IAS aspirant and one of Baba's disciples, "We’ve been learning from Maharaj Ji for years. Though he communicates through gestures and messages, his guidance is precise and impactful. We send him our questions, and he responds with written solutions." Baba believes that his silence helps him conserve energy, which he dedicates to the welfare of others.

Baba’s ultimate goal is to educate and inspire students to achieve their dreams of becoming officers, offering study notes and mentorship completely free of charge.

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The Mahakumbh Mela 2025, held after 12 years, has also drawn international visitors, including Pascal, a French devotee deeply fascinated by Hinduism and Lord Shiva. Expressing her joy at being part of the grand event, Pascal shared, "This is a holy place to purify the soul. I know the story of the Kumbh Mela and feel blessed to meet so many Yogis, Sadhus, and Hindu devotees."

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This year’s Mahakumbh Mela, expected to attract over 45 crore devotees, is being held at the Sangam, the sacred confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers. The festival’s central belief is that taking a holy dip at the Sangam absolves sins and grants liberation (moksha).

Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 Shahi Snan (royal bathing) dates include:

• January 14 (Makar Sankranti)
• January 29 (Mauni Amavasya)
• February 3 (Basant Panchami)

(with inputs from ANI)