The Mumbai Dubba wala has been hit hard by the pandemic and the lack down around the city. With Mumbai under maximum threat, the city has come to a standstill. With everyone inside homes, there are no trains running, and the office turn out is negligible. In this scenario, the dabbawalas system has been in operation for 130 years and uses no electronic, web, or intent-based system to run its’ huge network of 500 odd food packets and lunch box carriers. It relies on an intriguing system of local trains, pushcarts, and bicycles to silver hot lunch and food to offices direct from their homes at the most economical charges.
It delivers more than 2 lakh lunchboxes around the city every day with over 2.6 lakh transitions daily, with a substantial turn over of 45 cr. The union has approached the state government for help as their meters will starve with no business they are finding it difficult to feed themselves and their families. The people who feed the entire city’s workforce and put hot home food on the desk of office goers are going hungry themselves.
Dabba Gol! With the Pandemic having a huge impact on supply chains, distribution, and public transport they are badly hampered with no delivery to make. We’re as at an average a Dabbawalas makes 40 delivers, there are only 12 odd delivers in yeti day to make and no one wants to risk their lives for that.
They are asking for support from donors, NGO’s and others who can help them tie this bad tide were their livelihoods have all but vanished. An old school system but a very efficient, cost-effective, and accurate the Dabbawalas have been called at great universities to explain and present how they do their deliveries, just by using chit’s, markings, tag numbers, and registers. With no use of technology their hardcore base of the common office going Mumbaikar is still intact. They deliver home food, unlike other delivery services that deliver restaurant food. The backbone to the average middle-class Mumbaikar is going through taught times and hope for improvement if things open up again.
Till then they will have to find ways of surviving at an average a Dabbawalas makes Rs 15,000 a month doing deliveries. That income has shrunk to nothing, we look to companies and institutions to come forward and support them during these times of lockdown. Some are also looking to give guest lectures at universities explaining their unique logistics method to students, that is one way to make some money.