At Maha Kumbh Mela 2025, high-tech tea kiosk wows Harvard professor: ‘Eat up, Starbucks’

The Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh not only impressed the attendees but also intrigued the observers. Mahindra Group Chairman and industry giant Anand Mahindra recently shared insights from a blog post by Harvard Business School Professor Tarun Khanna.

Khanna is currently attending the mega event in Prayagraj. According to Mahindra’s post on X, the professor mentioned about Chai Point in his blog.

Mahindra wrote on

“The stores are also pop-up stores, where tea is made by state-of-the-art, best-in-class robots globally, and served with consistency and high quality, at very low prices. Taste your heart out, Starbucks. Once again, ‘traditional tea paired with modern technology,'” it said. Blog.

Chai Point and its partner Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) are hoping to set a Guinness World Record for the highest number of cups sold in a single event. They hope to sell more than 1 crore cups of tea at the Maha Kumbh.

Every cup of tea served at the stalls will contain Nandini milk. Desserts and milkshakes from the same brand will also be offered, according to media reports.

Professor Khanna also said in his post that the ‘city’ is a marvel in itself as it is ‘built on the banks of a sacred river that recedes regularly, only to be dismantled with ecological efficiency in the end’.

He also shared a photo of commandos armed with space-age surveillance infrastructure such as a NASA-style control room, unmanned reconnaissance and surveillance drones, and distributed sensors for problem solving and security.

The Maha Kumbh Mela is an important Hindu event that occurs every 144 years. The event is expected to attract more than 40 crore visitors this year. Maha Kumbh 2025 will be held in Prayagraj from January 13 to February 26.

Important bathing dates during the festival are January 29, February 3, February 12 and February 26.