He cycled 100 km to deliver food. Now this writer is set to become a crorepati | Trending News
There was a time when Ajit Kumar’s world revolved around one dream: becoming a doctor. Growing up in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur before moving to Faridabad with his family, he imagined a future in medicine. But dreams often lose to circumstances. Financial hardship forced him to abandon his studies, and instead of wearing a white coat, he found himself riding a bicycle across the city, delivering food every day, just to keep his family afloat.
Kumar cycled nearly 100 kilometres on some days, worked up to 16 hours, and carried the weight of a Rs 7 lakh loan taken for his elder sister’s wedding. Then, just when life seemed difficult enough, a road accident left him with multiple fractures. Doctors even warned that his leg might have to be amputated.
Confined to his bed, unable to work and drowning in debt, Kumar had little reason to hope. But while searching for work-from-home jobs during his recovery, he stumbled upon an advertisement looking for writers at Pocket FM. He had no idea that clicking on that job listing would completely change the course of his life.
Today, Kumar is the lead writer of Brahmyodha: The Destroyer, one of Pocket FM’s biggest audio series with over 16.8 crore plays. He says he earned more than Rs 40 lakh in the first half of 2026 alone and expects to become a crorepati before the year ends.
In an exclusive conversation with indianexpress.com, Kumar spoke about losing his dream of becoming a doctor, surviving on food deliveries, discovering storytelling by accident and why he believes AI can never replace human emotion.
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Kumar’s story recently caught the internet’s attention after Pocket FM shared a video chronicling his journey. It gained further traction when investor Rahul Mathur posted about him on X, writing, “A Swiggy delivery partner from Faridabad has become a crorepati after he started writing for Pocket FM.”
A dream interrupted
Kumar says his father, a farmer, moved the family to Faridabad so his children could receive a better education. Determined to pursue medicine, Kumar chose science after Class 10 and later completed a BSc.
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After graduation, he wanted to continue his education. “BSc karne ke baad maine papa se kaha ki mujhe MSc karni hai. Mujhe jis college se karni thi, wahan Rs 2-3 lakh saal ke maang rahe the. (After completing my BSc, I told my father that I wanted to pursue an MSc. The college where I wanted to study was asking for Rs 2–3 lakh per year.) That was more than my whole family’s earning,” he recalls.
The dream ended there. With no way to afford higher studies, Kumar had to start earning instead. His first major job was at a bank, where he says he earned Rs 80,000-90,000 a month including incentives. The job, however, lasted only about a year because of personal circumstances he chose not to discuss.
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Despite the setback, he says the income helped him arrange his elder sister’s wedding. “Jiski wajah se mujhpe Rs 7 lakh ka loan aa gaya tha (As a result, I was burdened with a loan of Rs 7 lakh).”
Cycling 100 kilometres a day
After leaving the bank, Kumar joined food delivery platforms to repay the loan. “Baarish ka mausam mere liye best hota tha. Tab order extra milte the. (The monsoons were the best as I used to get extra orders). I used to work 16 hours and cycle for 100 kilometres per day to complete 20 orders,” he says.
Then came the accident that changed everything. Multiple fractures left him bedridden. His income stopped overnight, but the loan repayments did not. For the first time, Kumar says he felt completely helpless.
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While recovering, he began searching for remote jobs and came across an opening for writers at Pocket FM. “Maine struggle shuru kiya. Kahaaniyaan likhne ke liye main itna pagal tha ki ek-ek din mein maine 20,000 words bhi likhe hain (My struggle began. I was so obsessed with writing stories that I once wrote as many as 20,000 words in a single day.”
The story that changed his life
Writing did not bring success immediately. “My first story was ‘Maanav aur Daanav’. Uska koi result nahi aaya. (I didn’t get anything from that).”
He continued writing despite the setbacks before finally creating ‘Brahmyodha: The Destroyer’, a story inspired by Indian mythology. The breakthrough came sooner than he expected.
Within three months, one of his stories topped a Pocket FM writing contest. His first payment was Rs 20,000. Instead of spending it on himself, Kumar handed the money to his mother. “Maine woh Diwali bohot dhoom dhaam se manayi thi (I celebrated that Diwali with great pomp and show),” he says with a smile.
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The next payment was Rs 52,000. Then came a month when he earned Rs 6.29 lakh. According to Kumar, his most recent monthly payout crossed Rs 11 lakh. He says he has earned nearly Rs 40-45 lakh in the first six months of 2026 and is confident that by the end of the year, his earnings will cross Rs 1 crore.
Meanwhile, ‘Brahmyodha: The Destroyer’ has grown into one of Pocket FM’s biggest hits, crossing 16.8 crore plays. The series has expanded to over 1,300 episodes, while its listenership has quadrupled this year.
‘Every route leads to your destination’
Looking back, Kumar says he never limited himself to one career path. “Aap kuch bhi karo, haar mat maano kabhi. Maine bridal makeup bhi kiya hai, mehndi bhi lagayi hai, vlogging bhi try kiya hai, doctor ki padhai bhi kari. Main kehta hoon sab kuch karo. (Whatever you do, never give up. I’ve even done bridal makeup, applied mehndi, tried vlogging, and studied medicine. I say—do everything.) Every route leads to your destination.”
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Asked what sets his stories apart, Kumar says he deliberately avoids glorifying violence.
“Aaj kal log sirf galat dikha rahe hain. They are showing brutality a lot. Sirf end mein dikhate hain ki good wins over evil, lekin poori story mein evil ka upper hand hota hai. Meri stories daily life par based hoti hain. Main chahta hoon audience characters se connect kare. (These days, people only show the wrong side. They highlight brutality a lot. Only at the end do they show that good wins over evil—even though evil dominates the story. My stories are based on daily life. I want the audience to connect with the characters).”
Why he isn’t worried about AI
Kumar believes artificial intelligence will not replace good storytellers. “AI will take away only those writers’ jobs who won’t be able to improve their skills. “AI can never feel the things I can and can never write them in words or explain them the way I can. It can only read thoughts fast but can never think of its own,” he says.
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For Kumar, success is no longer measured only in earnings. His next goal is to open a school in their village where education remains affordable. “Yeh mere father ka sapna hai (This is my father’s dream),” he says.
