An elderly couple who run an eatery in South Delhi district in India received an outpouring of support from the community after a video featuring the two went viral
Life-changing social media post: The video, shared by YouTube channel Swad official on Tuesday, featured business owner Kanta Prasad, 80, working at his shop called “Baba Ka Dhaba” in Malviya Nagar with his wife, Badaami Devi, according to Indian Express.
- In the video, the elderly owner showcased the ready-to-serve meals sold at their shop.
- The couple moved to Delhi in the early ’70s from Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh district and opened a tea stall near Shaikh Sara, Hindustan Times reported.
- When asked how much he makes in a day, Prasad showed a thin bundle of 10 Indian Rupee notes ($0.14) and said they don’t earn more than 80 Indian Rupee ($1.10) a day even though they open their stall at 6:30 a.m.
- “Ever since the lockdown, life has been very difficult,” he said.
- Prasad can be seen wiping his tears in the video.
- The man recording the video also promised Prasad he would help them with their business — and he did.
The power of social media: After the video went viral, which is now at over 900,000 views on YouTube, many people immediately went to visit the small shop in South Delhi.
- On Thursday, Prasad saw a massive crowd of around 60 to 70 people, ranging from college students to workers, businessmen and office workers lining up to buy food. The couple eventually ran out of stock around 12:30 p.m.
- Before starting their day, a neighbor informed the couple of their internet fame and how “Baba Ka Dhaba” became the top trending hashtag on Twitter that morning.
- Many social media users shared the video of Prasad wiping his tears on Twitter, including celebrities.
- “It was still too big a risk to take, especially in the light of bad business,” Devi said. “We have run out of savings and we are struggling to make ends meet.”
- Prasad prepped double the amount of food sold on Thursday than his usual with the price ranging between 20 Indian Rupee ($0.27) to 50 Indian Rupee ($0.68).
- After the food ran out, the elderly couple opened a window in their porta-cabin where they spoke with photographers and journalists who wanted to interview them.
- “We have a small shop. On any regular day, we hardly sell around 20 plates of each food item… between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.,” Azad Hind, their son, said. “The number of plates sold per item dropped to below 5 since we reopened the shop in June after two months of [Covid-19] lockdown. We often had to take back food…and eat it ourselves or occasionally distribute among neighbors… Today was a blessing.”
Featured Image Screenshots via @youtubeswadofficial (left), @DelhiTimesTweet (right)
