Changing food habits hit growth of Mumbai 'dabbawalas'

Craze for fast food and growing trend among the youngsters to eat out have led to near stagnation in the customer base of famed Mumbai dabbawalas, who deliver lunch boxes to over two lakh Mumbaikars every day, says a management consultant.

In recent years, there had been no significant increment in the customer base of the 120-year old businesss as the new entrants to the country's commercial capital have different tastes and perception of food habits, according to Dr Pawan G Agrawal, president of the Mumbai Dabbawala Education Centre.

He attributes this to the change in food habits especially among youngsters who prefer fast food and snacks than homemade lunch and the mass exodus of Mumbaikars to other cities across the country and overseas.

Besides, in-house eateries and restarunts established by large corporates and factories have also contributed to the stagnation in the growth of clients for the dabbawalas, known as the masters of supply chain management for their precision work in reaching the food in time to the office-goers.

However, their loyal customer base continues with over two lakh customers served by 5,000 plus dabbawala personnel, whose average literacy rate is only eighth grade, Agrawal told PTI during a visit here recently.

The main reason for the success in maintaining 99.9999 per cent accuracy was the inculcation of service motive than claiming labour rights, Agrawal, who has made extensive research on the working of the dabbawalas, said.

The 120-year old history of dabbawalas has neither witnessed a single day strike nor closure of activities be it heavy rains or when terror struck the city, sans the only time when they struck work expressing solidarity with Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement in August this year.

Agrawal said more than 25 per cent of the dabbawalas were uneducated but still do not make any slip in their efficiency, which has earned them praise from the likes of Prince Charles.

"They are teetotalers and most of them do not smoke or consume non-vegetarian food. Most of them have recently evinced interest to learn other languages and even want to become computer literates," he said.

Interacting with participants at a B-school function organised by the local chapter of CII, Agrawal also credited the excellent suburban railway network in Mumbai to the success of dabbawalas in seamless transporation of the lunch boxes criss-crossing 75-80 kms every day in just three hours.

"The scheme of lunch box distribution and return of empty boxes accurately before evening cannot be replicated in other cities," he said.

Agrawal, also founder president of Dr. Agrawal Institute of Management and Technology in Mumbai, also delivered a lecture on dabbawalas through a power point presentation.