Guwahati: The internet is a beautiful place. At times, it can change the lives of people for good and beyond our imagination.
Something similar happened with an elderly couple who run a small food joint in Delhi’s Malviya Nagar.
An elderly couple sells home-cooked meals from a tiny kiosk, making just enough to buy for the next day’s menu or not even that. They have done this for 30 long years. Last night, the story of their struggle in the coronavirus crisis went viral, moving thousands of people, including celebrities, cricketers and even companies.
It all started with an Instagram post and a late-night tweet. Their story was recorded and first shared by a YouTuber Gaurav Wasan on his channel Swad Official and Instagram.
View this post on Instagram
Inhe hamari help ko bahut zarurat he . . . #share #foodvideo #viralvideo #old #oldcouple
By morning, “Baba Ka Dhaba” was among the top trends on Twitter. And a constant stream of customers could be seen at the kiosk.
In the video shot by blogger Gaurav Vasan yesterday, 80-year-old Kanta Prasad shared that he and his wife Badami Devi usually started cooking at 6.30 am and were ready with the day’s meal by 9.30 am. Dal, curry, parathas and rice were kept in large dishes to be sold for around ₹ 30-50 a plate.
Kanta Prasad, in an orange t-shirt and a mask hanging from his face, ran a ladle through what looked like mouthwatering matar-paneer.
When he was asked how much he had earned, he broke down and produced a few ₹ 10 notes from a box. Scraps for hours of hard work.
They hardly ever made huge profits, but the pandemic has been devastating for their little enterprise. The couple gets no help from their children – two sons and a daughter.
Within hours, visuals of the old man wiping his tears racked up thousands of retweets and likes. Many offered to help the couple financially and others announced plans for lunch at Baba Ka Dhaba. Among those who tweeted are actor Sonam Kapoor, cricketer R Ashwin, IPL team Delhi Capitals and food delivery app Zomato.
Thank you “Social Media”❤️#BABAKADHABA #BabaKaDaba pic.twitter.com/nJHvznG0Ef
— IMShubham (@shubham_jain999) October 8, 2020
The power of Social Media! What a Response! #BABAKADHABA #Delhi @ThePlacardGuy @iamharshbeniwal
Well done Sir!? pic.twitter.com/38qGbFTvyc— Vipul Kumar (@TheCalmPixel) October 8, 2020
“We are very happy with the number of customers that are turning up now. We are grateful for the public support,” said Kanta Prasad. His wife added, “During the lockdown months we could not sell anything. We struggled to survive but today we are flooded with customers. We want to give our blessings to all those who helped us.”