Baba Ka Dhaba's heartwarming story has turned a lousy, busy workday into a happy energiser for people everywhere. What was till Wednesday night a fairly obscure, stagnant shop in Delhi's Malviya Nagar, affected deeply by the coronavirus pandemic, has become a crowded business by Thursday afternoon.
Everyone is flocking to this roadside shop never heard of before, all because of the power of social media. Others, who can't visit are dropping in donations to the elderly couple that runs the joint, and who till yesterday, was teary-eyed at having to desperately struggle to make ends meet. Now, they're smiling and their food is sold out even before the day has ended. Read our full report on it here.
On November 2, it was reported that the owner of Baba ka Dhaba had filed a police complaint against YouTuber Gaurav Wasa, alleging misappropriation of funds collected to help out the poor couple. The 80-year-old has claimed in his complaint that Wasan had “intentionally and deliberately” shared the bank details of himself and his friends and family members only. He then went on to collect huge amounts of money through the donations that he received from the public “without providing any information to the complainant.”
Wasan, however, has denied these allegations, saying he had given whatever money he had collected via donations to the octagenarian. On giving his bank details in order to collect donations, Wasan clarified, "I didn’t want people to harass Baba so I shared my bank details instead of his."
Meanwhile, here are 5 things to know about the Baba Ka Dhaba eatery that has become a household name overnight:
1. Why are people talking about it?
On Wednesday night, a Twitter user posted a video showing the elderly couple that runs Baba Ka Dhaba in Delhi break down in tears because the pandemic had made business slow. It was originally posted by blogger Gaurav Wasan on Instagram with the caption, “80 year old couple selling best matar paneer. Inhe hamari help ko bahut zarurat he.”
Social media jumped to its feet to help out the old couple. People across India began showering the 80-year-old couple with love and warmth, enquiring about donation gateways through which they could help them monetarily. Others in Delhi have been dropping in at Baba Ka Dhaba since morning to taste the food. After a video featuring the teary-eyed owners of #BabaKaDhaba in #MalviyaNagar went viral and was shared by the likes of @ReallySwara, & @TandonRaveena, the small eatery is seeing such large crowds that they sold out all their food in the morning itself#BabaKaDaba #SupportLocal pic.twitter.com/XsP68y0dZZ
— Delhi Times (@DelhiTimesTweet) October 8, 2020 suggest that the couple has already sold all their food for the day,
Here's the video posted yesterday:
2. Who runs it?
According to the video, Baba Ka Dhaba is run by Kanta Prasad and his wife, Badami Devi, both 80 years old. They have been in business since 1988. The menu enlists items like dal, chawal, roti, sabzi.
3. Where is it located?
Baba Ka Dhaba stands in Block B, Shivalik Colony, Opposite Hanuman Mandir in Malviya Nagar, New Delhi. This is how busy the shop was this morning:
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4. Which celebrities contributed to reviving business?
Baba Ka Dhaba's story caught the eye of many celebrities including Sonam Kapoor and Raveena Tandon who shared the video. Kapoor even asked for the couple's details to be messaged to her, so she could send help. On Instagram, the post attracted celebrities like Karan Wahi and Harsh Beniwal who were keen to help the couple.
Meanwhile, on Twitter, cricketer Ashwin Ravi urged everyone to do their bit. AAP MLA from Malviya Nagar Somnath Bharti even visited the shop this morning and pledged to begin a campaign to revive other such businesses in Delhi.
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5. How can you help?
Those in Delhi can visit the couple's eatery in Malviya Nagar. Those who cannot, can simply pass the message forward so that more people can reach Baba Ka Dhaba, not just today, but every day.
Image Credit: NDTV+Somnath Bharti Twitter
Views expressed are the author's own.
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