An Indian hotel in Kyiv opened its doors to several people
The owner of 'Saathiya' restaurant in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv said, I will continue to offer shelter and food for as long as I can,” Manish Dave. In the past few days, Manish Dave's restaurant has offered shelter and food to many as people were urged to take shelter amid deadly shelling by Russia.
His restaurant now houses hundreds of children, pregnant women, students, homeless people and older locals. Till now he has provided food and shelter to over 132 people.
Dave came to Kyiv from Gujarat's Vadodara in 2021 with plans to open an Indian restaurant for Indian students studying in the country. “I opened the restaurant to bring Indian culture to the country,” Dave told the Washington Post.
Located near a hostel for international students of Bogomelets National Medical University, he opened his restaurant in January.
“Everything was going nicely. Suddenly, all these things happened here. There was fire, blasts, bombs. It has been very scary. People are scared,” he said.
After a series of explosions when civilians desperately sought shelter, Dave thought of opening the doors of his restaurant for the needy. He said, "A basement is a safe place. The place is so big, and I should help.”
Initially, he reached out to his customers, who were mainly students, and then he posted on social media, inviting anyone in need of shelter or food can come. “If you don’t have any proper safe place to stay during this time, please go here,” he posted on social media.
He added the address of his restaurant in it. "We will try our best to arrange free food and stay according to our capacity. Stand united with Ukraine,” he added.
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