Social media users in India came to the rescue of a poor elderly couple, in the Indian capital of Delhi, after an Instagram clip about their plight went viral last night. Hashtag #BabaKaDhaba became a top trend in India on Thursday, and many tweeps turned up to support the octogenarians who sell home-cooked meals from a tiny kiosk on a Delhi street.
According to a video shared by a food blogger on YouTube, the couple who had been running the stall for 30 years, were barely able to make enough money to buy stock for the next day, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The video by Gaurav Vasan showed the man, Kanta Prasad, in tears while explaining his situation.
Kanta Prasad added that he and his wife Badami Devi usually started cooking at 6.30am and were ready with the day's meal by 9.30am. The couple’s three children also did not help them financially.
The vlogger added that the food at the Dhaba (roadside restaurant) was mouth-watering, and urged his viewers to come and support the man.
It was Twitter user Vasundhara Tankha Sharma who spotted the Instagram clip by the food blogger and shared it on her Twitter feed on Wednesday evening. She wrote: "This completely broke my heart… please, please go eat at Baba ka Dhaba in Malviya Nagar." The post quickly gained popularity, making tweeps emotional.
Soon people started queuing up at the Dhaba (roadside restaurant), to support the man and his wife. On Twitter, many offered to help the couple financially, and others announced plans for lunch at Baba Ka Dhaba.
As the video went viral, celebrities, cricketers, and even commercial organisations came forward to help him.
Among those who tweeted were Bollywood actresses Sonam Kapoor and Swara Bhaskar, Indian cricketer R Ashwin, IPL team Delhi Capitals, and even a food delivery app.
Later updates on Twitter showed how many customers wearing masks reached the kiosk to order food and takeaways.
According to an Indian news report, Kanta Prasad later said: "We are very happy with the number of customers that are turning up now. We are grateful for the public support.”
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."
