The coronavirus pandemic has affected many businesses, especially small ones. The street food vendors who operate roadside eateries have either shut down their stores or are running with a hope to get back into minimal earnings. Streetside food in India has a definition of its own. Be it nukkad ki chai or a pani puri stall or even a small eatery run, Indian streets have a lot to offer. But because of the pandemic, these street vendors have borne the brunt of the economic crisis, badly. The widely shared video of ‘Baba ka Dhaba’—a small eatery run by an elderly couple in Delhi describes the plight the street vendors are currently facing. It is a testimonial of humanity. And there are so many lessons we all should note down from the viral story of #BabaKaDhaba. From the power of social media to the importance of supporting vocal for local, here are five important things the soul-stirring story of Delhi’s Baba ka Dhaba taught us.

1. Power of Social Media

Social media is so much more than what we may assume. It is not only the place to share your everyday stories or #foodgasm posts (or spreading unverified news), but if used purposefully, it is the most powerful medium. It can be a magic bean that grows overnight to light success, or in the case of #BabaKaDhaba, enormous happiness in lives. So many people visited the Dhaba and enjoyed the delicious food prepared by the elderly couple. The pictures and videos once again proved that social media has the power to turn things into wonder. Let us use it wisely!

2. Age is Just a Number

Kanta Prasad and his wife Badami Devi have been selling home-cooked food for the past 30 years. The couple is 80-year-old. The video shared by food blogger Gaurav Wasan shows how the couple, despite their old age, work so hard and prepare such delicious recipes for the customers, without any third person’s help. Age is not a bar to them. They also go on to prove that people who hold on to hope, even in such a difficult time, always leave a mark.

3. Humanity Still Exists

Every day, whenever we open the newspapers or social media, we lash out about the injustices and treachery present in the world. There are death, calamities and general despair about the human race. But amid all of that, if we just take a moment and look around, we find people and moments that change our perspectives and restore hope on humanity. The viral story of Baba Ka Dhaba is one such story. People did their best to help the couple in whatever way they could. Some visited the Dhaba, personally, others donated amount for the couple, and many shared the video online, urging everyone else to step forward.

4. Support Vocal for Local

It is time to go Vocal for Local. The Indian economy is hit hard. In times like this, it is important to step up and do everything we can to help revive the same. By improving our local manufacturing and productive efficiency, we can help our country to become economically independent. Find out more Baba Ka Dhaba near you. Follow all the safety precautions and visit your nearby local stores to buy essentials, vegetables and support more people like the elderly couple whose life is dependent on daily-wage earnings.  From Baba Ka Dhaba in Delhi to Kanji Bade Wala in Agra, Here's How and Why We Need to Take 'Vocal For Local' Movement and 'Power of Social Media' Offline. 

5. Never Give Up

Life can be just hard and tough. But it won’t always be. This is yet another important lesson that the story of Baba Ka Dhaba taught us. Even when their income is hit so hard, they never gave up. Every morning, the couple would open its store, cook delicious food with equal efficiency and love and hope to get back earning a decent living.

These are the five lessons that we should take down from the latest episode. There are many small businesses like Baba Ka Dhaba, waiting for things to get better so that life can go back into normalcy. Let us not lose hope, continue working hard and lend a helping hand to those who need it the most.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 10, 2020 03:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).