A couple of weeks back, a heartrending video of an old couple struggling to make ends meet went viral on various social media platforms. The video which was uploaded by Gaurav Wasan on the Swad official YouTube channel showed the plight of the elderly couple who owned a Dhaba at Delhi’s Malviya Nagar. The Dhaba became famous as Baba Ka Dhaba.
The video highlighted the various food items such as matar paneer, mixed dal, rice, parathas, and soya curry available at the Dhaba. In one segment of the video, the 80-year-old man, Kanta Prasad, was also seen weeping, claiming that his income had been less than Rs 100 rupees. Towards the end of the video, Gaurav Wasan provided the location of ‘Baba ka Dhaba’ and urged the residents of Delhi to give a visit to the eatery and help the old couple. He also exhorted people to donate money online so that more financial assistance can be extended to the couple.
Before long, the video went viral and was shared by a large number of people, including celebrities such as Raveena Tandon, Randeep Hooda, Sonam Ahuja, Ashwin and several others. As the video started doing the rounds on the internet, Delhi residents came out in support of the elderly couple as the queued up outside the dhaba while food delivery companies such as Zomato and Swiggy took important measures to get their food delivered to those who preferred ordering online.
Help also came in the terms of donations by people and various organisations. Not only cash donations, but online donations were also made by people who were touched by the elderly couple’s struggle and wanted to contribute their part in alleviating their financial woes.
YouTuber Lakshay Chaudhary claims money sought in Baba Ka Dhaba’s name never reached its owner
However, today a video has been uploaded by a YouTuber called Lakshay Chaudhary raising awareness about online scamming done by individuals who run online donation campaigns by uploading emotional videos. In his video, Chaudhary has alleged that Gaurav Wasan of ‘Swad Official’ sought donations from people on the pretext of helping ‘Baba ka Dhaba’ owners. But the money was not shared with him. In his interview with Chaudhary, the 80-year-old ‘Baba ka Dhaba’ owner Kanta Prasad admitted that he had so far not received a single dime from the donations sought by Gaurav for ‘Baba ka Dhaba’.
Chaudhary alleged in his video that Gaurav Wasan, who ran an online campaign seeking monetary assistance for ‘Baba ka Dhaba’ did not transfer the collected amount to Kanta Prasad. He further added that Gaurav had asked people on his YouTube channel to contact him for helping Kanta Prasad and shared his personal bank accounts for donations, instead of providing Kanta Prasad’s bank details for people to contribute.
Chaudhary mentions that his suspicions about the online scamming firmed up after Gaurav reported only Rs 2.25 lakhs as the amount received in the donation for ‘Baba ka Dhaba’. He adds that before the video had gone viral, Gaurav had claimed of raising about Rs 1.75 lakhs for the Dhaba. The mere addition of just Rs 40,000-50,000 after the video had gone viral and shared by many celebrities was a clear indicator that something was amiss, Chaudhary said.
Owner denies having received any monetary aid from Gaurav Wasan
“I have not received any donation online. I have received financial assistance in the form of cash. I have even received donation made by Amitabh Bachchan. But besides this, I have received no other online donations,” Prasad revealed to Chaudhary.
He further added, “I was being instructed by Gaurav to not share my bank details with anyone. Since the video went viral, I gave my mobile phone to Sushant. Gaurav has not given me any money, either in cash or online. Whatever he has collected, he is having it with him. Also, my bank account has been frozen.”
In the light of incriminating allegations against Gaurav, Chaudhary has exhorted him to come clean on this rather murky affair by uploading a video consisting of passbook details of the bank accounts in which he has received money for ‘Baba ka Dhaba’ after the video went viral. “It is a humble request to create a video showcasing the passbook details of the bank accounts in which you have received donations from people for ‘Baba Ka Dhaba’,” Chaudhary said.
