INDEX:
- Baba Ka Dhaba
- Power of Social media
- How to support small vendors and businesses?
- A Final Note
Baba Ka Dhaba:
A famous food enthusiast, and a traveler, Gaurav Wasan unraveled the difficulties and problems faced by an old couple in running their small roadside eatery.
Baba Ka Dhaba, owned by the 80-year old Kanta Prasad and his wife, Badami Devi. It is located in Delhi’s Malviya Nagar.
This roadside eatery barely used to make money even before the pandemic. But, as the epidemic hit the country, Kanta Prasad’s Baba Ka Dhaba’s business went down the drain.
Gaurav Wasan visited this roadside eatery and recorded a heartwarming and emotional video of the couple running the hotel without giving up even after facing many difficulties.
This video went extremely viral on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp. Many celebrities, politicians, and media companies came to their rescue.
The video shows how Kanta Prasad breaks down and starts crying. The couple revealed their daily earnings, which did not even cross a hundred rupees.
The power of Social media:
The emotional video of ‘Baba Ka Dhaba’ trended all day on many social media platforms. The food-delivery giant, Zomato(1), uploaded that they will make some changes and list Baba Ka Dhaba on their platform. True to their words, Baba Ka Dhaba was listed on Zomato. The company announced that people could order from Baba Ka Dhaba soon, and the team is working with the couple to enable good deliveries.
Besides this, Tinder also asks for couples to visit Baba Ka Dhaba for their next date!
Many cricketers, celebs, and politicians shared this video across many social media platforms.
The video got a whopping twenty-five million views on Instagram. Many people started visiting Baba Ka Dhaba.
Soon, the AAP MLA Somnath Bharthi visited the old couple and promised to help them.
Sonam Kapoor also contacted the old couple and asked for the couple’s details to offer help.
Many donation schemes were initiated to help this couple.
Vasundhara Thanks Sharma retweeted and posted this video on Twitter too.
Now, many people are visiting this small restaurant. Now, just like the old couple, many others are also facing similar problems and difficulties. Here is what you can do to help them.
How to support small vendors and businesses?
As we know, many small businesses and companies shut down due to the increasing losses because of the sudden pandemic. Many people made hefty loans, which cannot be repaid now.
During their tough times, there are many ways to help and support these people.
- Order takeaway from small and medium restaurants: ordering takeaway from small restaurants is the best way to support small hotels and restaurants. It is crucial to notice whether they are following all the protocols like sanitizing the area, washing hands, wearing masks, etc. Many roadside vendors and hotels lost their businesses due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Even a small thing we do, like a takeaway of food from them, will help them a lot.
- Social media shout-outs: As we saw above, social media is the best influencer. With more and more businesses going digital, you can easily tag them and give a free shout-out. This is one of the best ways to support small vendors and businesses.
- Shop at local stores: If you have to go shopping for groceries, fruits, vegetables, and daily supplies, it is advised to visit local shops instead of huge shopping conglomerates. This is because giant supermarkets don’t experience a severe loss in business. But, small shops require as many buyers as possible. Therefore, it is advised to shop in local and small shops.
- Donate if possible: Even though we have faced some difficulties during this pandemic, it is essential to show empathy towards those who had a severe loss in business. Hence, it is suggested to donate, however small, to these vendors and owners.
A Final Note:
Many people and couples, just like Kanta Prasad and Badami Devi, are suffering a lot. Many construction workers went under loss as no one hired them. To support these people, it is essential to donate if you can do so. The contribution need not be in the form of money. You can donate groceries, essentials like wheat, rice, etc. This is a high time where people should stand together and support them.
