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The dabbawalas: the back story
The back story
About The dabbawalas: the back story
Every working morning, Mumbai’s dabbawalas collect lunch boxes from homes across the city and deliver them, still warm, to desks in its offices, then carry the empties home again. Dressed in white, with the traditional Gandhi cap, about 5,000 dabbawalas serve almost 200,000 people a day (the Mumbai Dabbawala association).
How it began
The association tells the story: about 125 years ago a Parsi banker wanted home-cooked food at his office, and gave the job to the first dabbawala. Others liked the idea, and demand grew. The association dates the service to 1890, and credits Mahadeo Havaji Bachche with turning what had been an informal, individual effort into the team-delivery system the city still uses, starting with 100 dabbawalas.
The code on the lid
There are no addresses on the boxes. The first dabbawalas used a simple colour code; as Mumbai spread out along its three suburban railway lines, the code grew into the letters and numbers painted on each box today. Lunches travel by bicycle, handcart and local train, changing hands along the way (the association).
A painted code of letters and numbers on each box gets it to the right desk.
Seeing them at work
Look for the white caps, and for bicycles hung with rows of lunch bags. The dabbawalas are working to the clock: watch from the side, and don’t hold them up.
Our advice: if you see a team sorting boxes, stop and watch the system at work, but give them room.
Why it's on our list
- How it began
- The code on the lid
- Seeing them at work
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with The dabbawalas: the back story before you go.
What’s nearby
Distances from The dabbawalas: the back story are approximate, measured in a straight line (as the crow flies). Times are approximate too: walking at about 80 metres a minute, cycling at about 15 km/h and driving at typical city-traffic speeds. Traffic and routes vary.
Nearest stations
- ChurchgateLine 3450 m6 min walk
- Hutatma ChowkLine 3600 m7 min walk
- Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj TerminusLine 3750 m10 min walk
Key sights
- Marine Drive350 mWalk 4 minCycle 1 minCar or taxi 6 min
- CSMT (UNESCO)1.0 kmWalk 13 minCycle 4 minCar or taxi 8 min
- CSMVS museum1.1 kmWalk 14 minCycle 4 minCar or taxi 8 min
- NCPA1.4 kmWalk 18 minCycle 6 minCar or taxi 9 min
- Gateway of India1.7 kmWalk 21 minCycle 7 minCar or taxi 10 min
- Haji Ali Dargah5.6 kmCycle 22 minCar or taxi 22 min
- Bandra–Worli Sea Link8.8 kmCycle 35 minCar or taxi 31 min
- Jio World Centre (NMACC)15 kmCar or taxi 50 min
- Juhu Beach19 kmCar or taxi 61 min
- CSMIA airport (T2)19 kmCar or taxi 62 min
Main railway stations
- Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT)1.0 kmWalk 13 minCycle 4 minCar or taxi 8 min
- Mumbai Central3.9 kmCycle 16 minCar or taxi 17 min
- Dadar9.5 kmCycle 38 minCar or taxi 33 min
- Bandra Terminus14 kmCar or taxi 48 min
- Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT)16 kmCar or taxi 54 min