The Mumbai Dabbawala Association starts services in few places in the city; they are not allowed yet on trains, full services cannot resume
On normal days every dabbawala would handle 30-40 tiffins a day which has now reduced to 4-5 each. File pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
As Mumbai is in the process of unlocking with many offices, shops, malls opening up; the iconic dabbawalas too, are trying to get back to work. The Mumbai Dabbawala Association has started its services in few parts of the city for now due to limited demand and restricted access. But the association and the dabbawalas are very positive about the move, and eager to restore full services with their demand to be allowed on local trains.
After a long, frustrating wait of six months, the dabbawalas of Mumbai are more than happy to get back to work, though partially. The association has begun services in South Mumbai where collection and delivery of lunch boxes is possible on cycle, as everyone is not yet allowed to travel on trains. All the dabbawalas are taking precautions such as using masks, gloves and hand sanitizers.
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Cycle-borne dabbawalas
Currently services have begun in Colaba, Fort, Crawford market, CSMT, Churchgate, Charni Road, Walkeshwar, Worli, etc. "We depend a lot on the local trains for our work. But now that they are not an option, workers have begun services with the use of cycles. This is why we cannot immediately resume our old practice as picking up a dabba from Andheri, Borivali, Mira Road to deliver it to Mantralaya or other parts of South Mumbai cannot be with the use of cycles. We have requested the state government to allow us to travel on local trains so that we can extend our services. But until then we are happy to restart however possible," said Subhash Talekar, president of the Mumbai Dabbawala Association.
Shantaram Gargote, a dabbawala
On regular days, at least 5,000 dabbawalas worked to deliver thousands of lunch boxes. Now only 40-50 are back on the job as demand is less. There were days when every dabbawala would handle 30-40 tiffins a day which has now reduced to 4-5 each. Clearly, remuneration too is less, but yet there is new motivation among the dabbawalas.
Citizens still worried
One of them, Shantaram Gargote, said, "The work is less but at least it has started and step-by-step we will recover. From not getting any money to little remuneration is also progress." Gargote, a resident of Ghatkopar, reaches the association's Grant Road office in the morning with whatever travel facility available, and then delivers lunch boxes in South Mumbai on cycle. Though offices have opened up, many citizens are still worried about beginning the services of dabbawalas. But most shops have started using their services.
"I went to my village for two months after the lockdown was declared. But there was no work. When I returned I started calling up regular customers to see if I could begin to work, as paying rent and handling other expenditure was becoming impossible. Few of them showed the green signal and I began work," said Gargote, adding that few of his clients work in offices but most of them work in shops in South Mumbai where markets have opened up.
Also Read: With 89,000 fresh cases India's COVID-19 tally reaches 43.7 lakh
5k
No. of dabbawalas on a normal working day
50
Approx. no. of dabbawalas working every day now
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