From sleeping under sacks in Bihar to selling Rs 780 tea in US: viral IITian turns layoff into ‘chai’ business

Recalling the financial struggles his family faced while growing up, Prasad said, “The family’s financial constraints were such that they could not even afford a blanket. In winters, we slept under dal sacks for warmth.”

 

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Further, Prasad talked about how his father tried several businesses but did not find success. Despite the hardships, his parents emphasised education. However, his life took a dramatic turn after his brother was almost kidnapped. “Overnight, my family left Bihar and moved to Bhopal. The shift was tough,” he said.

“From a Bihar board school to an English CBSE one, I didn’t even understand basic words. Kids laughed at my accent. But I worked hard, caught up, and eventually cleared the IIT screening exam,” he stated.

Getting into the IIT marked a turning point in his life. After graduating, he secured his first job in 2008. But the corporate world did not excite him. “But coding never excited me – the gym did. I started training seriously, spending more time there than at work. Bodybuilding became my passion,” he noted.

Prasad then moved to Mumbai and began auditioning for modelling assignments. “Reality wasn’t glamorous – tiny flats in Andheri, long audition queues, and taking up whatever work came my way,” he said.

After a few years, he decided to try his luck abroad. “My girlfriend was in the US, and we had already spent years in a long-distance relationship. I decided to move there. My visa got rejected twice, but the third time I finally landed in Texas around 2014 for my MBA,” he said.

Over the next decade, he moved between cities and jobs while dealing with personal setbacks. “I worked corporate jobs, got fired more than once, and went through a painful breakup. At one point, my health collapsed,” he said.

“There were many days when I had no idea where life was headed. One night, I asked myself, ‘What’s the one thing that has always stayed constant?’ That’s when a friend suggested chai,” he added.

“No matter the city, heartbreak, or job – I always made my own tea. It reminded me of home,” Prasad added.

After losing his job during tech layoffs in February 2025, he decided to turn to tea as a business. With limited money, he began selling Indian-style tea in Los Angeles. “From sleeping under rice sacks to selling chai in the US – I didn’t become a CEO, I became the Chai Guy and I finally feel settled,” he told Humans of Bombay.