Some stories stay with you long after the headlines fade. Sunny Baruah’s is one of them.
The founder of Akhol Ghar restaurant in Guwahati, Baruah has travelled a difficult road from addiction, financial hardship and despair to building a successful eatery that has now served more than one million plates.
His battle with alcohol began when he was still in Class 7. What started as occasional drinking soon turned into a serious addiction. By Class 9, he was drinking regularly and heavily. When his father stopped giving him pocket money, Baruah resorted to selling his own blood to raise money to feed his addiction.
His life took another difficult turn when he decided to start a restaurant. In 2011–12, his family invested Rs 50,000 to help him establish Akhol Ghar. But the business struggled, and mounting losses eventually forced the restaurant to shut down in 2013–14.
The failure was devastating. Already battling alcoholism, Baruah slipped into severe depression. At one point, he attempted to take his own life.
But that moment became a turning point.
Given another chance at life, Baruah decided to rebuild himself and his business. He returned to Akhol Ghar with renewed determination, gradually transforming the small eatery from a makeshift establishment of tin and bamboo into an air-conditioned restaurant serving traditional Assamese cuisine.
The journey has since produced a remarkable result. Akhol Ghar has served more than one million plates, while the business today provides livelihoods to 22 families.
For Baruah, however, the restaurant’s success is about more than numbers. It represents a second chance and a life rebuilt from the depths of addiction and despair.
The eatery has earned a reputation for serving traditional Assamese dishes, with its food becoming a major draw for customers. Baruah now plans to expand the business further and explore other avenues.
Looking back at his own struggle, he believes that overcoming addiction ultimately requires an individual’s own decision to change.
“Intoxication up to a point is fine. But someday, every individual realises its evils. It is then that the person has to decide if he should stop it or continue it,” Baruah says in his message to those battling alcohol addiction.
From a teenager caught in the grip of alcohol to an entrepreneur whose restaurant has served more than a million meals, Sunny Baruah’s story is ultimately one of resilience, recovery and redemption. It is a reminder that even after the darkest chapter, a new beginning is possible.
