Support Pours In For #BabaKaDhaba, After Heartbreaking Video Of 80-YO Delhi Couple Goes Viral
A heartwrenching video of an elderly man crying as he is not able to sell food and earn enough to make ends meet has gone viral on social media. Vasundhara Tankha Sharma posted a video by a food blogger featuring the couple and said it "completely broke my heart".
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit all of us in myriad ways, but street vendors and small business owners are especially facing unimaginable financial strain.
Such is the case with this 80-year-old couple from Malviya Nagar, Delhi - the pandemic turned their life around in the worst way possible and their small business of home-cooked meals has taken a hit.
Instagram/
youtubeswadofficial
Thanks to a good samaritan and of course, the power of social media, their story has come to light and we can all do our bit to support them through the crisis.
The couple sells home-cooked meals from a tiny kiosk in front of Hanuman Mandir in Malviya Nagar.
Also Read: Elderly Couple In TN Home-Delivers 10 Kg Rice Each To Over 800 Families Of Daily Wage Laborers
The video was initially shared by Gaurav Wasan on his Instagram account @youtubeswadofficial. "80 year old couple selling best matar paneer. Inhe hamari help ko bahut zarurat he," Wasan wrote while posting the video.
The 80-year-old man named Kanta Prasad breaks down as he explains that they have been working since 1988. The pandemic has left their business in a lurch and now they're struggling to sell food.
He and his wife Badami Devi, start cooking at 6.30 am and are ready with the day's meal by 9.30 am. Dal, curry, parathas and rice are kept in large dishes, ready to serve for around Rs 30-50 a plate.
Also Read: Craving For Some Scrumptious Street Food? Govt Will Soon Sign An MoU For Doorstep Delivery!
When Wasan asks how much they are able to earn, Prasad takes out a few currency notes from his drawer and it's absolutely devastating.
In four hours, ? 50 was all they had managed. The couple gets no help from their children, two sons and a daughter.
Soon after the video was posted online, several people came forward to ask for the details of the couple, so that they could help them.
This video completely broke my heart. Dilli waalon please please go eat at ???? ?? ???? in Malviya Nagar if you get a chance ?? #SupportLocal pic.twitter.com/5B6yEh3k2H
¡ª Vasundhara Tankha Sharma (@VasundharaTankh) October 7, 2020
Actor Sonam Kapoor, cricketer R Ashwin, IPL team Delhi Capitals and food delivery app Zomato are among those who pitched in to support their business.
"During the lockdown months we could not sell anything. We struggled to survive but today we have been flooded with customers. We want to give our blessings to all those who helped us," NDTV quoted the shop owner as saying.
#WATCH "There were no customers, we had to return home with food.... Now we are happy, it feels like we've many extended families," says Badami Devi of #BabaKaDhabha.
¡ª ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2020
The stall in Delhi's Malviya Nagar saw heavy footfall of customers after video of the owner couple went viral. pic.twitter.com/KG2WjQuYTo
"There were no customers, we had to return home with food.... Now we are happy, it feels like we've many extended families," says his wife Badami Devi.
.@RICHA_LAKHERA .@VasundharaTankh .@sohitmishra99 .@sakshijoshii .@RifatJawaid .@ShonakshiC .@TheDeshBhakt Visited "Baba Ka Dhaba" n hv done d needful to bring SMILE on their faces as promised. Will take care of them n I am starting a drive 2 take care of similarly placed people. pic.twitter.com/S9A94AmJxK
¡ª Adv. Somnath Bharti (@attorneybharti) October 8, 2020
AAP MLA Somnath Bharti, who visited the couple today tweeted, "Visited Baba Ka Dhaba n hv done d needful to bring SMILE on their faces as promised. Will take care of them n I am starting a drive 2 take care of similarly placed people."
¡ª Vasundhara Tankha Sharma (@VasundharaTankh) October 8, 2020
That's not all, the video has helped so much, that crowds of people have now gathered outside Baba Ka Dhaba to help the couple with their business! And the visuals are gratifying!
Visuals: People outside an eatery in Malviya Nagar after a video of the hardship faced by of its owner went viral on social media#BABAKADHABA pic.twitter.com/xMNTy4E7d7
¡ª TOI Delhi (@TOIDelhi) October 8, 2020
A simple video has made such a massive difference in this elderly couple's life, it just goes to show that all of us need to be a little more empathetic and kind to all those who are trying to eke out a living in these strange times. Even the smallest gestures will make a world of a difference.
