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Maha Kumbh: This ‘Chai Wale Baba’ provides free civil services coaching in UP's Pratapgarh
The Chai Wale Baba told his disciples that his silence helps accumulate energy, which he then uses to do welfare in the world.
In Uttar Pradesh's Pratapgarh, "Chai Wale Baba", a tea seller who became a monk, has been providing free coaching to civil service aspirants for the past 40 years, without eating or speaking.
Dinesh Swaroop Brahmachari, once a 'chai wala', vowed to remain silent and not eat any food, surviving on merely ten cups of tea every day. One might wonder that if he doesn't speak, how does he guide the students at the coaching centre? The answer is -- WhatsApp.
Rajesh Singh, a civil service aspirant, told ANI that he has known "Maharaj ji" for almost four to five years now, adding that he gives "his disciples" guidance whenever they need it.
"Language requires a medium, which can be written or oral, and no one calls it non-verbal. Guruji is silent, but we understand through his gestures and WhatsApp messages," Singh explained.
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He said that students write their queries or concerns to him and he also responds to them in written word. However, Singh clarified that the disciples don't believe that "written medium is the best, but it serves its purpose".
The Chai wale baba, who is at Mahakumbh, offers free coaching along with study notes to the civil aspirants via WhatsApp. He even answers their questions through the Meta-owned platform.
"When asked, Baba writes that his goal is to educate students and help them become officers," Singh told ANI.
But why is Baba silent? Singh said that the ascetic has explained that his silence helps accumulate energy, which he then uses for the world's welfare.
Seemingly, the Chai Wale Baba has caught the eye amid the rising inflow of visitors in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the Mahakumbh Mela 2025.
Earlier, a French woman named Pascal, who arrived in Prayagraj for the Kumbh Mela expressed her deep fondness of Hinduism and said that she is a devotee of Lord Shiva.
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Pascal, while speaking to the news agency, described Prayagraj as a holy place to purify the soul. Being fond of Hinduism practice and having come to the UP city, she said that she met several Yogis and Sadhus there.
The Mahakumbh, celebrated every 12 years, always witnesses a sea of devotees at the event and this year over 45 crore devotees are expected to attend.
The Mahakumbh will begin on January 13, with devotees gathering at the Sangam, the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati, to take a holy dip believed to absolve the sins and grant liberation. The iconic event will conclude on February 26.
(with ANI inputs)
