Here I have come up with an incredible story of a 130-year old heritage of tough spirit and dedication who became the epitome of Mumbai's spirit across the world. Few hard facts of Mumbaikar's dabbawalas who forms the world's most efficient logistics supply chain. It's a story about those Men forces who deliver lunch boxes or better known as Dabba to the right person at a fixed lunch hour without any IT infrastructure. Their system of delivery is so robust that it's included in the case study as part of many business schools' management studies curricula.
They have fought through floods, rains, bombings, and even cyclones, but now are deprived of their livelihood because of COVID-19.
I love this city and the spirit of Mumbaikar's. No matter what, you will end up falling in love with it. These Dabbawalas carry the same resilient and tough spirit wherever they go. I still remember those days back in 2005, when Mumbai was battered by unusually heavy monsoon rains. I used to watch on television, the whole city was underwater. More than 25 inches of rain combined with record-high tides, wreaked widespread havoc, bringing everything to a virtual standstill. There were hundreds of people stranded in railway stations, trains and even on the sidewalks. Among them were many of Mumbai's dabbawalas, who deliver meals prepared at customers homes to their offices. After a few days of flooding, even before the city had limped back to life, the dabbawalas were back in the job, wading through the waist-high water. They quickly became a symbol of gritty resilience.
These men, even though don't have a strong educational background, created a system that relies on colour, codes, symbols and signs. I became so curious to know more about these dabbawalas that I went detail into about them. They say a Dabba travels through six dabbawalas before it reaches the destination. It also travels through the same number of men on its return journey as well. It's almost an understatement to say that these men are a lifeline for Mumbaikar's. If you have ever travelled through the Mumbai locals, you are bound to come across men dressed in white uniforms carrying a large tray filled with lunch boxes.
But amid this pandemic, for the first time in 130 years, the dabbawalas were unable to deliver. This cooperative business that the dabbawalas have formed gives them job security. Irrespective of their role, each person earns around Rs.8,000 to Rs.12,000 per month. Many of them come from the slums and don't have a lot of savings. Six months ago when the pandemic broke out, it wreaked havoc on their livelihood. With offices, industries, banks and most establishments being closed during the last six months. The pandemic threw life out of motion and left more than 5,000 dabbawalas out of work. Even though lockdown is over, many industries have employees working from home. Without the local trains operating, it's another hurdle for these men to continue their work.
Today they are going through a crisis, our 130 years of history is at stake. 5,000 dabbawalas are going out of work. These men ensured that our lunch is delivered every day on time, rain or shine. I feel today it's our turn to help them in whatever way we can. As I have mentioned in my previous write-ups too food plays a major role in our life. We strive day and night so that night we sleep with a tummy full of good food. Which keep us going all the time. Also, it's our very basic need. One of the key lessons any organization can learn from the dabbawalas is the simplicity with which this system works. The dabbawalas are intimately aware of what their customers value (food delivered on time, every day). And, just as importantly, they don’t try to do anything other than that.
At last a big salute to the spirit and dedication of these superhumans our very own Dabbawalas, you will be soon back with the bang. After all, Mumbai is a city of hopes and a Mumbaikar will never leave his hopes. Jai Maharashtra.
