The big deal is that The Economist decided to cover a topic like ‘Dabbawala’ in it’s business section on July 12, 2008 issue. These guys go to the IIMs and ISB to give guest lectures on their style of "Management". It is a big deal that BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) produced a documentary on Dabbawalas and Prince Charles visited them in 2003, during his visit to India. The New York Times reported the growth rate of Dabbawalas in 2007 and Harvard Business School has produced a case study on the ‘Dabbawalas’. It is certainly a very big deal.
The system of Dabbawalas (delivery of lunch boxes) originated in Bombay around 1890s. Who actually started the service is debatable, but it was formally organized by Mahadeo Havaji Bacche, a migrant from rural areas of Maharashtra. The lunch delivery service was attractive because the distance between the residential areas and the business district in Bombay, made it difficult for the workers to go back home for lunch. Initially, some 100 unemployed Ghattis (men from the hills of Maharashtra) were contracted to deliver home food to a small group of office going people. Bacche tried to unionize this force in 1930 but failed. ‘Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Trust’ was registered in 1956 as a charitable trust. By 1968, the trust was converted to a commercial entity called “Mumbai Tiffin Box Carriers Association”.
The Dabbawala phenomena has prevailed over the last 100 years and more. Today, some 200,00 meals are delivered in Mumbai (Bombay) everyday, by approximately 5,000 strong work-force at a service charge of eight dollars or Rupees 325 per month. The Dabbas (Tiffin Boxes) are picked-up form the residences at 9:00 am sharp and delivered at the offices between noon and 1:00 pm. Once the lunch is finished, the empty Dabbas are collected and returned to respective homes by 5:00 pm every single day, six days a week. Indians work 6 days a week. The Dabbawalas are paid Rs. 5,000 ($125) per month on equitable basis.
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