Mumbai Dabbawalas to be in Kerala Class 9 textbooks

Working towards inclusive and diverse curriculum, the Kerala State Council Educational Research and Training (SCERT) has encompassed an article on Dabbawalas. The Chapter Dabbawalas is written by travel writer couple Hugh and Colleen Gantzer. The couple is based in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand. The chapter beginning from page number 71 to 75 , commences with the origin of the first Dabba , translated as Tiffin Box . It was carried from Dadar to south Mumbati's fort area which is around 12Km away.

Raghunath Medge, the ex-President of Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Charitable Trust (NMTBSCT), shared it with IANS.“That was way back in 1890 – or 134 years ago – and the first customer was a Parsi lady who hired Mahadeo Havaji Bachche to deliver a piping hot lunch box to her husband at his office downtown,”

The NMTBSCT is the broader organisation under which the Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Association (MTBSA) works.

Beginning with the Dabbawalas , the association grew and flourished . To mention, before COVID-19 pandemic, the team was five thousand , delivering over 2,00,000 dabbas daily.
The tribe is respected and valued in Mumbai and even world . They offer efficient, unique and punctual service. It is ranked equal to Six Sigma Rating

A spokesperson at NMTBSCT, Ritesh S. Andre “From the crowded, unkempt railway stations on the Mumbai suburban railway networks, the Dabbawalas soon travelled to international business schools, global universities, featured in films, documentaries, books, and earned the visits of royals like the King Charles III, Queens, Presidents, Prime Ministers and other celebs,”

However after the pandemic, the scenario has changed completely.
Medge highlighted “Even the markets have changed drastically. What was first linear, from north Mumbai to south Mumbai, is now from north Mumbai to new Central Business Districts (CBDs) that have mushroomed in the Mumbai Central region, including Worli, Dadar, Bandra Kurla Complex, MIDC, Marol, Ghatkopar, Goregaon, Malad, etc., besides deliveries to schools and colleges, making it a complex affair,”