During his recent UK tour, Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared an experience that soon went viral on the internet, drinking a cup of tea offered by Akhil Patel, an Indian-origin businessman and Amala Chai founder.
PM Modi tweeted two photos from the visit, captioning, “‘Chai Pe Charcha’ with PM Keir Starmer at Chequers. brewing stronger India-UK ties!” In one of the photos, he can be seen grasping a cup of tea, and in the other, Patel is seen in mid-pour.
‘Chai Pe Charcha’ with PM Keir Starmer at Chequers…brewing stronger India-UK ties! @Keir_Starmer pic.twitter.com/sY1OZFa6gL
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 24, 2025
A clip of the exchange has gone viral, with Patel chuckling and saying jokingly, “from one chaiwala to another,” as he hands the Indian prime minister the hot tea.
Who is Akhil Patel?
As his LinkedIn profile indicates, Akhil Patel attended University College School in Hampstead, London, for his studies and later graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Management from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). In between student days, he interned with various organisations before securing employment as a data analyst after graduation.
In 2019, Patel pivoted his career and founded Amala Chai, drawing on his grandmother’s recipes. His company sources tea and spices directly from “small family farms in Assam and Kerala,” according to the company’s LinkedIn page.
Amala Chai was recently recognized by the British Museum, which highlighted the brand in a video promoting the way it sources authentic ingredients from India.
‘Just a casual Thursday…’
While Patel has not responded to his own personal social media accounts, he had posted a short clip on the official Instagram page of Amala Chai. The message had stated: “Just a chill Thursday serving chai to @narendramodi @keirstarmer What a wild day! Beyond humbled. We’ll be sharing the whole story with you next week so keep your eyes open!” The clip is of PM Modi and UK PM Keir Starmer having a cup of the tea that Patel has served them at their meeting.
