Bhagwati Yadav, street vendor
Bhagwati Yadav ‑ a street-side vendor selling pani puris in India’s south Mumbai for nearly 46 years ‑ died of COVID-19 around a month ago.
His death, however, came to light recently when residents of Napean Sea Road started a fundraising campaign to help the family of their beloved pani puri wala.
Yadav was popularly known as "Bisleri pani puri wala" in and around south Mumbai for he used bottled water for preparing the popular snack.
"For 46 years, Yadavji always put our health first by serving "Bisleri" pani puri. And his generosity knew no bounds as he would never shy away from handing out "Ek extra puri," a statement on the crowdsourcing platform Ketto read.
The fundraising drive, aimed at collecting Rs5 lakh in 42 days, has a...