Mumbai's dabbawallas wait for date with Will-Kat

Mumbais foodie lifeline to thousands the dabbawallas have a case study done on them at Harvard Business School and a sixsigma quality certificate for their delivery system Yet for them their lasting claim to fame is attending the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla in the UK back in 2005 Now with Prince William and wife Kate set to visit the city on Sunday and Monday April 10 and 11 the dabbawallas are looking forward for a rendezvous with the ldquochhote rajaranirdquoAlso Read Sachin WillKat to bat for charityPrince William and Kate smile during their visit to St Thomas Hospital on March 10 2016 in London England PicGetty ImagesThe dabbawallas though have not yet heard from the British High Commission about the visit These men in the trademark white topis though are keeping the faith The dabbawallas brush with royalty dates back more than a decade when Prince Charles paid them a visit to Churchgate on his India trip in 2003Read Story British royal couple William and Kate to attend Bollywood gala in MumbaiPrince Charles with Raghunath Medge centre and Sopan More left when in Mumbai in 2003ldquoIf we get to meet Prince William and Kate we will gift them our trademark topi and an empty dabba as a symbolic gesture We have a lot of love and respect for Prince Charles but we were disappointed that we didnrsquot get an invite for Prince Williams weddingrdquo said Raghunath Medge head of the Dabbawalla Association who was one of the only three Indian invitees for Prince Charles weddingA gift for Kate vahini sisterinlaw will include a shawl and coconut ldquoIt is part of our tradition We had gifted Camilla vahini with a Paithani sari mangalsutra sindoor and green bangles for her wedding She was very happyrdquo said Medge proudlyThe fact that Prince Williamrsquos visit has been fairly hushhush seems to have caused some hurt though they are trying to not let that dim their enthusiasmAlso Read Prince William and Kate to arrive in Mumbai on April 10ldquoI learnt about their Prince William and Katersquos visit from the newspaper I went to London for Prince Charles wedding where I remember meeting William and Harry They were just kids then It would have been great to meet William with his wife Though I know nothing is scheduled yet if he decides to meet us suddenly we will take out time from our schedulerdquo said dabbawalla Sopan MoreThe dabbawallas meet with Prince Charles lasted for 15 minutes at Churchgate in 2003 a deadline set by the dabbawallas given their strict schedules ldquoWe have to ensure that a substitute carries on with our deliveries said More The dabbawalla service is famed for its clockwork precision and punctuality More added ldquoWe want to give them a traditional welcome with dholaks and tutari to give them a taste of the real MaharashtrardquoA hopeful Chandrakant Bhoir a dabbawalla who operates in Dadar says ldquoI want to give Prince William and Kate a taste of the traditional zunka bhakharrdquo before cheekily adding ldquothey wonrsquot be able to digest the spicy food though and I will be in troublerdquoBhoir says he missed out on the chance to meet Prince Charles in 2003 something he has been fuming about till dateldquoThere was some miscommunication between me and the dabbawalla association so I couldnrsquot make it to Churchgate I hope this time I get meet the Prince Stories of our hard work were known within India but Prince Charlesrsquo visit brought us international acclaim and recognition which we fondly cherishrdquo Bhoir finished just as his mandated 10 minutes rest time was up