Viral Baba Ka Dhaba : The Power Of Social Media

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WHAT IS VIRAL #BabaKaDhaba AND WHAT HAPPENED

If you didn’t saw the viral video then here is what happened. Gaurav Wasan, a food blogger, has been supporting street -food vendors from the past eight years. On 7th October he posted a video of an 80-year-old couple named Kanta Prasad and Badami Devi, struggling to earn and sell amid covid-19 crisis. This old couple owns a small eatery named Baba Ka Dhaba situated at Malviya Nagar in New Delhi.
In the video, they tell us how they start making all the food at 6:30 in the morning and it gets prepared around 9 a.m. Before lockdown, they earned enough to meet their needs but now they are going through the financial difficulty as there is no sell of their food. Kanta Prasad gets emotional when telling all about his hardships, to help them, Gaurav Wasan makes a video to show how delicious their food (especially there Matar paneer) tastes.
This video was shared on different platforms and was viewed by over 54 million people on Facebook and over 30 million people on Instagram. After the video went viral, a huge crowd can be seen outside Baba Ka Dhaba. Many people, including celebrities and political leaders, started helping and supporting the old couple. Companies like Pepsi has started sponsoring them, even Baba Ka Dhaba got listed on Zomato. Recently, the couple even got free cataract surgery at Sharp Sight Eye Hospitals in Delhi.

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HOW SOCIAL MEDIA HELPED

Who would have expected that the life of a 80-year-old couple would change after their video went viral but that is the thing with social media. It can make some great unexpected things happen. #BabaKaDhaba and #MalviyaNagar became a trend on Twitter and the video got millions of views on different platforms.
Gaurav Wasan says that we should not stop this trend right here, it’s not only about Baba Ka Dhaba but every other street food vendors who are working this hard but still struggling to earn for their living especially during after lockdown. It is an idea and it should not stop here.
There are many new trends every day on social media but this one made someone happy, helped someone to overcome their financial problems. Some viral trends are just for entertainment whereas some trends can impact lives. Check out this article to know all the trends during the covid-19 lockdown.

HOW CAN WE HELP THEM

It would be wrong to say that because of their luck, Baba Ka Dhaba got famous as this is the result of their hard work that they have been doing for many years especially at an age when someone should rest and feel free of their duties. If you want to help this old couple then you can just go and eat their mouth-watering food which includes rice, paratha, dal and sabzi. You can easily do this if you live in New Delhi but if not, then just look around you, many street food vendors are struggling to sell their food. You can reach out to them and show your support. If you really liked their food then spread a word about it on social media so that other people can also know about it. As Gaurav Wasan says that it’s an idea and not only about Baba Ka Dhaba.
Even Kanta prasad himself tells to help other street food vendors who are facing the same difficulties and not only them. Social media can be used to spread more awareness about your local sellers and to support small businesses. Rather than spreading hate comments or fake news, we can spread a word about people who need recognition for their hard work.

MORE ABOUT BABA KA DHABA

Since 1988, Kanta Prasad is running his small eatery- ‘Baba Ka Dhaba’. His wife, Badami Devi is the only one who helps him, they work together. Kanta Prasad has got two sons and a daughter, but none of them really helped the old couple. One of the sons got unemployed during the lockdown and the other one does his work. His married daughter and a granddaughter live with them, the old couple takes care of the family financially even at this age. Before lockdown, they were able to earn at least ₹4,000- ₹6,000 only in a month but after lockdown, they could hardly meet their needs.

When Gaurav Wasan asked if he could make a video on Baba Ka Dhaba, Kanta Prasad got emotional as he said that no one has ever asked about them about their life or hardships. It’s been some days since the video went viral, but still, there is a huge crowd outside Baba Ka Dhaba, many people are supporting them in different ways. Like denoting some groceries like oil, wheat and other foodstuff or eating their cooked meal. Many people came to Baba Ka Dhaba for the first time through social media.

WHAT’S NEW?

The owner of Baba Ka Dhaba, Sh. Kanta Prasad has filed a complaint against Gaurav Wasan, (who made his video that went viral) for misappropriation of money as he received only a donation of Rs. 2 lakh, but various YouTubers have claimed that he received a donation of Rs. 20-25 lakh. However, Gaurav Wasan has denied it and no FIR has been registered against Gaurav by now.

SIMILAR CASES LIKE BABA KA DHABA

After seeing the viral video, people say that they feel tragic about how someone is unable to earn, even for 2 meals a day. But Baba Ka Dhaba is not the only one struggling through it, there are many other small shops which are unable to make any money after lockdown. Like ‘Roti Wali Amma’ who sells whole ‘thali’ for just ₹20 at Agra near St. John’s College, is finding difficulties in filling her stomach. Underprivileged section of society has been worst hit by Covid pandemic. A helping hand can bring a massive change in the lives of the needy.
If you are thinking about hygiene, the quality of ingredients and other things about the food made in this small eateries, then just think of the stale food that you eat in big eateries which are sometimes pre-cooked, refrigerated and then put into harmful microwaves and finally in designer plates or fancy boxes. And we even pay a hefty price to eat that junk. These small eateries offer meals for a reasonable price and most importantly, it gives someone hope for life. 🙂