A tea seller in Puri observed the 68th birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi by cutting a cake and distributing 3,000 cups of tea to people for free.
It is his fourth year in row the tea-seller celebrated Modi’s birthday with much gaiety. The stall-owner is a fan of Modi, who runs his shop near roadside in front of Puri Urban Cooperative Bank in the city.
“Like Modi, I am also a small tea-seller. Since 2015 on this very day, I have been distributing tea to passersby for free. It is my fourth year,” said Akhaya Jayasingh, the tea seller.
He told, since Modi has come from small tea shop and become the PM, so he was inspired to celebrate the birthday in distributing tea to people.
“I like Modi for his good works for the poor of the country,” said Akhaya, adding that he has seen many PMs in his life but for him, Modi is completely exceptional.
At 10 am, his 6- year- old daughter Arya Jayasingh inaugurated the ‘Tea for Free’ by cutting 2.5 pound of cake surrounded by the invitees and fans of Modi.
Then tea distribution began for which he engaged half a dozen of staff members. This year he raised the cup numbers to 3,000 which was 2,000 in 2017. In 2015, he had started with 1,800 cups.
He used earthen cups which he brought from Kolkota since Modi is spreading messages of Swachh Bharat and stressing on eco-friendliness.
Asked about the expenditure in stall decoration, cake and tea, he said to have pegged a budget of Rs 15,000 this year which was less last year.
Enthused with works, in 2016, the State Bank of India (SBI) had sanctioned Rs 40,000 Mudra loan by specially felicitating Jayasingh.