It was October 8 when the viral video of 'Baba ka Dhaba' made the rounds on Social media for the first time. As soon as the video of the 80 year old Kanta Prasad, with teary eyes crying that it was becoming increasingly difficult to sustain himself during the corona times, went viral people flocked to his dhaba. Some to have food, some out of sympathy and some to hog the limelite.
As a result the dhaba situated on a footpath in Malviya Nagar became over crowded with customers. People across Delhi came to have matar paneer, rice and roti served at the dhaba.
In no time the story was endorsed by celebrities from across Bollywood, Sports and politics. From common man to the not so common, everyone took to their Social media page to share the story. There were calls by twitterati to reach the dhaba in large numbers to help the old man.
By then the 80 year old man of 'Baba ka Dhaba' had became a social media sensation overnight. While Bollywood actress Swara Bhaskar wrote, 'Wooohoooo! Twitter can do good too!', MP Shashi Tharoor wrote, 'Heartwarming story of how social media post helped a vendor running a Delhi dhaba to survive. Social media isn't just about flaming trolls and hate speech, it can be a force for good.'
But nearly 20 days down the line the story is not the same. The dhaba is almost empty once again with very few customers to eat and more to make videos and click selfies.
As the Social media took up the story in a big way, some food supply apps and Companies put up their boards near 'Baba ka Dhaba'. But now they all have been removed from the dhaba.
According to Kanta Prasad, no Company genuinely felt for him. Their only interest was to sell their brand. He also claimed that many people on social media had promised to help him, but he has not received any help from anyone.
However the old man thanked the blogger who first came here and made a video of him and his dhaba that went viral on Social media.
On the other side it is said that food supply app Zomato and Baba did not agree on certain issues hence things could not materialise.
Meanwhile Bollywood PR relationship manager Tushar Adlakha has taken up the job of a manager in Baba ka Dhaba and is helping Kanta Prasad digitally. According to him his only motto is to help the old man without any motive.