If you live under a rock, that’s a good thing because the internet keeps getting weirder each day. There are lives of people you don’t know, memes you don’t get and somehow not knowing all of it makes you feel like you’re missing out. Most times, you are not. Like these new viral videos of the woman who sells Vada Pav.
One might thing that it’s a good thing – street vendors finding fame and the respect that their work deserves is, in fact a good thing. There’s more to this one story, however. The fact that there have been too many developments to follow makes it even more hard to follow the truth of things. Chandrika Dixit who’s the viral vada pav woman on reels, claims that she has the best vada pav in Delhi.
Initially, there was a lot of conversation associated with the pricing at the stall. People say that a vada pav is not supposed to cost as much as ₹50. In another incident, Dixit was seen crying over a phone call – where she later claimed to being pressured by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to remove the stall.
Reportedly, there are issues with her license that need to be sorted. Given the legalities, people mentioned that it was the vendor’s mistake to not have taken care of paperwork through proper processes. That’s not it, though. In a number of other videos, people have complained about the rude behaviour of the vendor with customers.
Also because the internet picks up on trends fast, a lot of people have traveled to the stall to try this special vada pav. Since then, there have also been two competitors – one of which is a woman being referred to as ‘duplicate vada pav‘. The other is a boy who claims to be selling better food at lower costs.
There is a new development each week, and the internet has a lot to say about it. There’s also misogyny involved to the entire chain of events – where some state that her stall is viral solely because she’s a woman. People apparently think that it’s not her food that gets customers to visit, but the fact that she’s a woman. Of course, these opinions are deeply rooted in sexism and says more about the people than the business owner.
The other, more logical observation is the fact that there’s just a lot happening, which concerns people in general. It understandably raises questions on what the internet has become. We want to know more when there’s even a little bit hint of goss – which is exactly why almost everyone wants to record the new event that takes place around this one person and business.
For now, everyone’s just fairly concerned about Delhi’s growing obsessions with vada pav. And the fact that Mumbai has always been a clear unsaid rival doesn’t help.