Bhanjanagar: Weeks ago, a video showing the lockdown plight of a desi dhaba in Delhi's Malviya Nagar stormed the internet. Soon after the video went viral, help poured in for the Delhi elderly couple. People in large numbers thronged the food outlet as a kind gesture to Kanta Prasad and his wife.
In a similar heart-wrenching story, Odisha Bhanjanagar's elderly couple has been fighting the Covid lockdown blues in their tiny Tiffin-stall. Sitaram Panda and his wife run a tiffin stall in Bhanjanagar locality. It is their only source of income to run the family. But, pandemic ruined their livelihood.
In order to earn bread for the family, Panda at his 70s toils hard at his eatery making Bara, Piyaji, Samosa and Alu Chop.
Soon after the government eased Covid restrictions, the elderly couple reopened their stall with a hope to make some business. But the contamination fear seems to have restricted the customers visiting their shop, compounding the woes of the elderly couple.
Sitaram said, "I have taken more than Rs 50,000 loan for my stall. I used to earn Rs 2500 every day, but post lockdown the per day earning has gone down to Rs 700-800. Even it is becoming difficult for me to get the return of my invested ration and vegetables."
Sarojini Panda, wife of Sitaram shoulders his pain equally. She helps Sitaram in fetching goods for their stall. She said, " 2 of our 3 children died at a very young age. We had also taken loan for our daughter’s marriage. Our income is so less that we are unable to give house rent, so we have shifted here for a temporary shelter.”
A local stated, “Their food is very tasty, but business has dropped because of covid fear among people. Locals are resorting to online food and not coming to this stall.”
Watch Video | Bhanjanagar Elderly Couple Fights To Win Bread From Tiffin Stall Post-Lockdown
(Edited By Rashmi Ranjan)
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