Yesterday I came across an excellent CBC TV series called "India Reborn" which can be viewed online. It is divided into four segments, about an hour in length each. I believe it was originally broadcast in the spring of 2009. I was fascinated to learn about the career of a "Dabbawalla." The Dabbawalla (also spelled dabawalla, dabbawallah) are predominantly entrepreneurial men who pick up and deliver the Tiffin (lunch day meal) to customers (mostly men) in major cities such as Mumbai or Delhi. Dabbawalla in English means something very close to "one who carries a box."
The devoted Indian wife prepares the hot meal in the morning and then packs it in an insulated stainless steel tube with various compartments. The Dabawalla then collects the Lunch Tiffin from home and delivers it to the work place in a record time. Approximately 4,000,000 transactions are done per day with a work force of approximately 5000 employees.. The Error rate is 1 in 16 million transactions. The charge is Rs 300/- per month ($6 per month) This rate is standard for any distance or weight.
Affluent families use this service today to deliver nutritious meals to their children at school.
It is a century old profession and it an integral part of Indian culture.
Factual information above found at wikipedia.org
1 comment:
Thank-you God....that we don't have to be doing this here!!!
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