A 52-year-old Indian, Manish Dave, from Vadodra in Gujarat has risen to the occasion to emerge as a Good Samaritan amid the shelling in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv.
A man called Manish Dave has turned his restaurant into a shelter for over 125 vulnerable people in Ukraine. He & his staff cook food & risk their lives in search of ration for them all. The world needs more people like Manish Dave. pic.twitter.com/ZnQlViwDoZ
— GOOD (@good) February 27, 2022
According to a report in The Washington Post, Dave’s basement restaurant Saathiya has turned out to be a safe haven for many. More than 130 people have been given shelter and free food since the Russian military operation started in Ukraine last Thursday.
Manish Dave, an Indian restaurant owner in Kyiv, is one of the war's heroes. As you can see in the photo, Manish's restaurant (named Saathiya) is located underground. He has given shelter to 130 people in his restaurant. Some of those sheltering are children and pregnant women. pic.twitter.com/nRqoQtuRza
— Cindi is boosted (@Cinianwidger1) March 2, 2022
Dave told The Washington Post, “I will continue to offer shelter and food for as long as I can.” After Kyiv witnessed explosions, Dave realised that his basement is a safe place. “The place is so big, and I should help.”
He informed his regular customers that they can stay in the basement. Later, he invited people who needed shelter through a post messaging app Telegram.
“Dear friends from India or any national, our restaurant is in the basement and it’s called safe place to stay in this situation. If you don’t have any proper place to stay during this time, please go here. We will try our best to arrange free food and stay according to our capacity. Stand united with Ukraine,” he wrote in his post.
Dave offers traditional Indian dishes such as dal and rice and makes it less spicy. Pasta and other European dishes are also served to people who are sheltering at the restaurant. He has been feeding the people without charging them but has asked for donations of groceries so that he can feed the needy.
Antontseva, a Ukrainian woman along with her mother, brother, pregnant friend and her husband stayed at the restaurant.
“I can’t express how happy we were when we entered a clean, warm room, with a pleasant smell of Indian spices,” Antontseva was cited as saying by The Washington Post. “Despite the fact that there was not much space, doors were opened for everyone. They offered us some hot tea and dinner. I was also happy for my pregnant friend who could sleep on a small couch instead of a cold floor of the basement we were in before.”
