I was 5, she was 3 when we got married and...: Baba Ka Dhaba couple's story will make you smile

New Delhi: An elderly couple - Kanta Prasad and Badami Devi's - life changed overnight with just a video. Their plight of struggling to make ends meet during the coronavirus pandemic moved social media so much that a huge crowd thronged outside their make-shift food joint to enjoy their home-cooked meal after a heartbreaking video of them went viral. Now, 'Baba Ka Dhaba' is known to all. It's located in Delhi's Malviya Nagar area and people have been queuing outside the kiosk. 

Kanta Prasad and Badami Devi have been running Baba Ka Dhaba since 30 years and the couple has been together for several decades now. In a post for Humans of Bombay social media pages, Kanta Prasad narrated their story of how they met, got married and lived their life. Trust us when we say their story will make you smile and it's the best thing on the internet today.

"I was 5 & Badami Ji was 3 when we got married in Azamgarh, UP. The only memory I have of the ceremony is of her hair in a braid; she looked like a doll. We thought we were attending a party - we wore new clothes, ate ladoos, performed rituals & went home," read an excerpt from the post.

He further said, "We had no idea we'd been married off; so when we met once a year, we'd reunite like old friends. As we grew older, the responsibilities of being 'pati' & 'patni' became clearer & at 21, Badami Ji came to live with me. Our friendship slipped into love - we'd grown up together & known each other our whole life."

The couple moved to Delhi from Azamgarh in 1961 after their daughter was born. Kanta Prasad, 80 now, started as a fruit seller in Delhi and gradually took up other professions as their family grew. 

"In 1990, after hitting a half-century, we started Baba Ka Dhaba! Badami Ji does the chopping & I cook," he added.

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“I was 5 & Badami Ji was 3 when we got married in Azamgarh, UP. The only memory I have of the ceremony is of her hair in a braid; she looked like a doll. We thought we were attending a party–we wore new clothes, ate ladoos, performed rituals & went home. We had no idea we’d been married off; so when we met once a year, we’d reunite like old friends. As we grew older, the responsibilities of being ‘pati’ & ‘patni’ became clearer & at 21 Badami Ji came to live with me. Our friendship slipped into love–we’d grown up together & known each other our whole life. We’re luckier than most, but we knew we didn’t want our kids to have the same fate as us. So when I held our daughter for the first time, I decided to leave UP. We moved to Delhi in 1961. Here, I became a fruit seller. I’d get fruits from the mandi & Badami Ji would set up the stall. In the afternoons, Badami Ji would take over; she was a better saleswoman than me! As our family grew to 5, we began selling vegetables–we had our fair share of good & bad days. But we’d keep going for the times when we could afford chai & biscuit from a tapri. My favourite day is Friday though–that’s when Badami Ji makes aloo baingan! We then opened a chai stall. It took a toll on us financially, but Badami Ji had faith in me. I remember asking her, ‘Nahi chala toh?’ She smiled & said, ‘Koi baat nahi, kuch aur karengey!’ I wouldn’t have the courage to do anything without her. She may look small, but she has a strong willpower! So, in 1990, after hitting a half-century, we started Baba Ka Dhaba! Badami Ji does the chopping & I cook. There’s no ‘aadmi ka kaam’ or ‘aurat ka kaam’; 50-50 partners hain hum! But after lockdown, our business tanked; my older son also lost his job. We were barely scraping by–food was going to waste & we had no money to buy vegetables. Lekin waqt hain, badalta rehta hain–out of nowhere, a stranger came & took our video–the next day, we woke up to a line outside! Since then, all news people, company walas & customers have been coming & going. But when you were talking to Badami Ji just now, I overheard her saying, ‘Dekho iss umar mein bhi kitni mehnat karte hain!’Yeh toh best compliment hua na, madamji?"

A post shared by Humans of Bombay (@officialhumansofbombay) on Oct 12, 2020 at 4:53am PDT

(We're not crying, you're crying)

Kanta Prasad and Badami Devi's story has touched the hearts of millions. 

Actress Anushka Sharma recently shared the post dedicated to them and wrote, "Acche vicharo ko humesha kitabi shiksha kee avashyakta nahi hoti hai."

More power to them!