In a recent Humans Of Bombay post, Baba Ka Dhaba’s Kanta Prasad and Badami Devi have shared their heartwarming love story. From their child marriage to running a small street-side eatery in Delhi, the 80-year-old’s journey has been a long one.
Kanta recounts his wedding, “I was five and Badami Ji was three 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, and 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’ and ‘patni’ became clearer and at 21 Badami Ji came to live with me,” Kanta added.
It didn’t take much time for them to fall in love as they had grown up together and known each other since childhood. They consider themselves luckier than most since many others don’t have the same experience as them. But they didn’t want their kids to have the same fate.
Kanta recalls, “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 and Badami Ji would set up the stall. In the afternoons, Badami Ji would take over; she was a better saleswoman than me!”
As their family grew to a member of five, they began selling vegetables and had their share of good and bad days. The tribulations kept them going for the times when they could afford chai and a biscuit from a tapri.
Kanta’s favourite day is Friday though; that’s when Badami Ji makes aloo baingan for him.
Talking about Badami’s high spirit and never-give-up attitude, Kanta said, “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 and 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 strong willpower.”
Kanta, who’s passionate about cooking, is one of those rare men who don’t think any household work is a woman’s work alone. Defying gender bias roles, Kanta said, “Badami Ji does the chopping and I cook. There’s no ‘aadmi ka kaam’ or ‘aurat ka kaam’; 50-50 partners hain hum!”
But after lockdown, their business tanked; their older son lost his job as well. “We were barely scraping by – food was going to waste and we had no money to buy vegetables. Lekin waqt hain, badalta rehta hain – out of nowhere, a stranger came and took our video – the next day, we woke up to a line outside,” Kanta adds.
But all things aside, nothing makes him happier than his wife praising him. “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?’,” he concludes.
Lead Image Credit: Humans Of Bombay, Instagram
