Surendra Rai was born in Bhutan and grew up attending school in both Bhutan and Nepal. After fleeing Bhutan as a refugee, he obtained his School Leaving Certificate in Nepal and went on to study sociology at Tribhuvan University. Later, he earned a Bachelor of Theology in India. In 2010, he and his family resettled in Quebec City, Canada, where he started a church to serve the Nepalese-speaking Bhutanese community.

After establishing the Bhutanese-Nepali Christian Church of Canada and helping to establish the Bhutanese community in Quebec City, he moved with his family to Ottawa, where he founded the Alpha Bhutanese-Nepali Church of Canada. He continues to lead this church and is also involved in the Canadian Bhutanese Association.