The plight of Kanta Prasad, 80, moves social networks

10/08/2020 Business


Visit #BabaKaDhaba, 'Wipe His Tears': Couple's Dlight Moves Social Media

Kanta Prasad, 80, has suffered severe financial problems due to the coronavirus pandemic.

New Delhi:

Somewhere in South Delhi, an elderly couple sells home-cooked meals from a small kiosk, generating just enough to buy for the next day’s menu. They have done it for 30 long years.

Last night, the story of his fight 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.

Vasundhara Tankha Sharma posted a video from a food blogger featuring the couple, saying it “completely broke my heart.” He urged the people of Delhi to “please go eat Baba ka Dhaba in Malviya Nagar.”

This morning, “Baba Ka Dhaba” was among the top trending on Twitter. And you could see a steady stream of customers 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 start cooking at 6.30am and are ready with the day’s meal at 9.30am. Dal, curry, parathas and rice were kept on large plates, ready to serve for around Rs 30-50 a plate.

Kanta Prasad, in an orange T-shirt and a mask hanging over her face, scooped up what looked like an appetizing kill-paneer.

When asked how much he had earned, he broke down and pulled 10 rupee bills from a box. In four hours, 50 rupees was all they had achieved.

They hardly ever made big profits, but the pandemic has been devastating for their small business. The couple does not receive help from their children: two sons and a daughter.

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Thousands of people were touched by the story of the elderly couple, including celebrities, cricketers and even companies.

In a matter of hours, the images of the old man wiping his tears accumulated thousands of retweets and I like them. Many have offered to help the couple financially and others have announced plans to have lunch at Baba Ka Dhaba. Among those who have tweeted are actor Sonam Kapoor, cricketer R Ashwin, the team at IPL Delhi Capitals, and food delivery app Zomato.

“We are very happy with the number of clients that are coming in now. We are grateful for the support of the public,” said Kanta Prasad. His wife added: “During the months of confinement we could not sell anything. We struggled to survive, but today we have been inundated with customers. We want to give our blessings to all those who helped us.”

People have taken photos next to the Dhaba and posted the address on Twitter. Contributions have been made for “uncle and aunt”.

“I’m sure #BabaKaDhaba today will have more visitors than any other restaurant in Delhi. I don’t know about the money, but Baba will definitely need a waiter this week,” one post commented.

Gaurav Vasan, who first posted the video on Instagram, was also in the dhaba today. “When I came here yesterday, it gave me goosebumps hearing about their plight. They had made just 70 rupees a day. They had come at 6:30 am to pitch the tent and had spent 500 rupees, but even after Lunch time they had only made Rs 70. So I decided to shoot and share the video to help them. I am overwhelmed with the kind of support he has received since then. It is great that there are so many people who want to help this man who is fighting for poverty. “he told NDTV.

A rare example of the power of social media to make you smile, many couldn’t help but observe.

In a new video, “Baba” had this message: “It’s not just me … there are many others who need help, who lost their earnings.”

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