Fighting for own survival while also serving the elderly

TNN | May 1, 2020, 04:49 IST

Bablu Thakur (39), biryani stall owner

I own a stall of non-vegetarian starters and biryani near Yeshwant Stadium. Four members of my elder brother’s family, five of mine and families of my employees are dependent on the income generated by the stall. We used to earn Rs40,000 a month after paying salaries and other expenses. I haven’t earned a penny in last six weeks to feed them.
I have a BPL card and my family is surviving on subsidized ration we get. I still have to buy cooking oil and vegetables at market rates. I also have a loan of Rs1.6 lakh, half of which is paid back. With no other source of income, I have informed bank people about my condition and they agreed to give relaxation, which is a relief.
Paying school fees is also a worry. My daughter’s monthly fee is Rs1,100. As of now, the school has not demanded money but I don’t know how I will pay when the school reopens.
We have a group of friends who are involved in social work in our area. Now feeding elderly and needy people is our prime task. Since I am involved in these social activities, I had to shell out some money from my savings. Now everything is exhausted.
We are surviving on the food provided by members of a gurdwara in morning and by Sandip Joshi (mayor) in the evening.
Things will get tough after May 3 as I was told that food will not be provided after that date due to more restrictions.
I am not paying anything to my stall workers but ensured that they get food daily. I just hope things get to normal and we can start earning or else soon my own fight for survival will begin.
(As told to Amit Sampat)