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Nagpur's Dolly Chaiwala: Now, I want to serve tea to PM Narendra Modi
Nagpur’s Dolly Chaiwala opens up about how his life has changed after his video with Bill Gates went viral
One Chai please -- this is what Nagpur’s Dolly Chaiwala has been hearing from his customers ever since his video with the same title with Bill Gates has gone viral. The tea vendor admits he is still in disbelief about how his life has changed, and now is harbouring a dream to serve tea to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The virtual world has been buzzing with excitement over the video featuring Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, and Dolly Chaiwala, a tea vendor from Nagpur. In the video, Gates is seen asking for ‘One chai please’, following which Dolly prepares it in his unique signature style. The clip quickly went viral on social media, with people sharing it across various platforms. In fact, a doodle has also been made to celebrate the moment between Gates and Dolly.
“Baap re,” exclaims Dolly when we ask him about the response, and continues, “I don’t have words to describe the response. It has been so great. Ever since the video release, my tea stall has been brimming with people, who come and order in similar style. Some are coming to take pictures with me, and the stall. And some are just curious about the whole incident, and have so many questions for me”.
“And here I am in shock ke suddenly mere saath life mein kya hua. I am unable to believe that the whole world knows me and is now talking about my tea stall,” he adds.
From sitting in flight for the first time, to getting viral -- there have been many firsts in Dolly’s life. And he reveals it was a phone call which made it all possible. “I got a call from someone in Hyderabad to come and join their event. They asked me to come and show Nagpur and Dolly Chaiwala ka style. I was ready to do it,” he says.
He adds, “They had arranged it. When I went for the shoot, I just saw some foreigners standing, and one foreigner standing by my stall. I didn’t pay much attention to it, and just made tea. I remember how he said, ‘what a chai’ after having the tea”.
He woke up to several messages and calls from friends and family members, informing him about his video with Bill Gates.
“They keep asking me ‘Dolly, tune chai kisko pila di’, ‘Dolly maan gaye tereko’, ‘bahut badi baat hai’. My first reaction was ‘baap re’ in shock,” he says.
At the moment, he is proud that he could bring the spotlight to his city Nagpur with tea making skills. “Bahut acha lagta hai jab log bolte hai Nagpur wale Dolly ki chai. People are using ‘one chai please’ to order, and I am happy to serve them. Now, my dream is to serve tea to our Prime Minister… woh bhi ek baar chaiwale reh chuke hai…. He is an inspiration for all,” Dolly shares.
At the moment, he has cut down on his visits to the tea stall, with his brothers stepping up to take on the work pressure. “People are thronging the shop. While they are coming for chai, some are also asking for selfies or pictures. Us time bheed ho jaati, but humko toh kaam bhi karna hai. It is important for us. Dukaan hai toh ghar hai aur toh hum hai, and that will remain my focus,” he ends.
