Mumbai gets a Dabbawala Bhavan

While the Covid-induced lockdowns had forced the dabbawalas to return to their home towns, they are now back in full force. Credit: AFP Photo

The financial capital of India now boasts of a Mumbai Dabbawala Bhavan. Located at Bandra, the Mumbai Dabbawala Bhavan honours the famous 'dabbawalas.'

There are around 5,000 'dabbawalas' who work in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) to deliver tiffin boxes to over two lakh people.

The Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Charity Trust (NMTBSCT) and Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Association (MTBSA) have thanked the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for the initiative. A Mumbai Dabbawala Bhavan was a promise that the Shiv Sena made ahead of the 2017 municipal polls. As the term of the current civic body comes to a close, the promise has been fulfilled.

Maharashtra’s Tourism, Environment and Protocol Minister Aaditya Thackeray inaugurated the Mumbai Dabbawala Bhavan in the presence of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anil Parab, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar and Municipal Corporation commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal.

The Dabbawala service in Mumbai started in 1890 thanks to the vision of Mahadeo Havaji Bachche, who saw an opportunity in lunch delivery service in its present team-delivery format with 100 'dabbawalas.'

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Currently, there are around 5,000 'dabbawalas' who work in Mumbai-MMR, however, now, most of them are back in Rajgurunagar (Khed) in Pune district, from where they hail.

Dressed in a white outfit and traditional Gandhi topi, they are known for precise and timely deliveries of lunch packages. The dabbawalas, who have developed their own Unique Identity Code, rarely miss delivering lunch boxes and their service is often said to be of Six Sigma standard.

The Mumbai 'dabbawalas' are an example of time management—and the accuracy of delivering dabbas (tiffin boxes) has also been touted as an example in the IIMs, IITs and other top institutions.

Since its inception, the 'dabbawalas' have been working without a break, however, the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown forced them to go back to their villages and take up agriculture-related work or be employed in local industrial areas. However, with the restrictions easing, they are back.

“The building is ready, some interiors are being done now,” Kiran Gawande, the Secretary of Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Association, told DH. “We would have a conference hall, where people can learn about the uniqueness of the delivery system. Tourists can also come in and see this,” he said.

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