World develops a thirst for Pakistani tea vendor
Blue-eyed teen recruited to model for an online retailer after photo of him goes viral
Arshad Khan was selling tea in a Pakistani market when a photographer walking by snapped a picture that sent the Internet into a frenzy and changed the young man’s life.
Jiah Ali, a photographer based in Islamabad, posted the photo of the 18-year-old pouring hot tea, tantalizing blue eyes staring at the camera, with the caption “hot tea” on Friday.
Since then, the photo went viral, his dreamy stare captivating people around the world. The photo on Instagram has received more than 14,000 likes and more than a thousand comments as of Wednesday afternoon. A video posted on Wednesday of him making tea had received more than 42,000 views.
Ali told the Star she walking through the market and casually taking photos when she came across Khan making tea in his stall.
“I found him very concentrated at the task and decided to take pictures of him working,” Ali said in an email. “It wasn’t until he looked up, that’s when I saw his eyes and was lucky to have captured that shot.”
Ali didn’t plan on posting the photo on her Instagram, but is now happy she did. She has spoken to Khan since the photo went viral, who she described as shy and reserved.
“He was happy, excited, nervous, scared and very confused, all at the same time,” she said.
After Ali posted the photo, it spread to Twitter and Facebook and Khan became a global sensation. Chai wala — meaning tea seller — was trending in places around the world.
Fitin, an online retailer run by university students in Islamabad, quickly recruited the tea seller to model for the company, who is now plastered all over the company’s website.
“Chai Wala is no more Chai Wala,” reads Fitin’s website. “Now he is fashion wala.”
In a Facebook post, the company announced that Khan will be working for Fitin as a model when it launches the full version of its online shopping site.
Several Twitter accounts in Khan’s name have popped up since his photo went viral.
The Pakistan Express Tribune reportedly discovered Khan at his usual spot in the market and asked him if he knew he was now Internet-famous.
“Yes, I am aware of my newly found fame and I am incredibly happy,” he said. “My friends have been showing me pictures since this morning.”
According to the paper, he has 17 siblings and is a fan of Hollywood movies.
Samaa TV, a Pakistani channel, said the teen has been working at Islamabad’s market for the past four years. Before that, according to station, he was selling fruit and couldn’t go to school because his family couldn’t afford to pay for his education.
It’s certainly not the first time the Internet has gone wild over a photo of an average person who happens to be ridiculously good-looking.
In 2014, Twitter became obsessed with the mug shot of Jeremy Meeks, the handsome man who was arrested on felony weapons and then went viral on social media.
Last week, Certis Cisco, the security company that works at Singapore’s Changi Airport, tweeted a photo of officer Lee Minwei that also caused a stir online.
In 2014, Alex from Target, a young American cashier, became an online sensation, and later made an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.