Dabbawalla

Introduction

Prince Charles is not the first person to show an interest in the

Dabbawala of Mumbai. In fact, the first time they actually shot to

international fame was when his compatriots at the BBC did a

documentary on them way back in the late 70s.

But it was in the 1990s, when management lexicon became a part of

daily life, that the interest in Dabbawalla’s, now synonymous with

Mumbai's blurringly fast life, grew.

Today, they are feted regularly and invited to lecture students of

business management. Corporate chiefs applaud them; management

gurus use them as models.

So what makes the Dabbawala so unique? And how do they work?

At the simplest, the Dabbawala deliver home-cooked meals to

individuals at their workplaces and return empty Tiffin boxes to homes

and, in some cases, caterers.

For this, they charge Rs 300 to Rs 350 that is $ 6-7, a month.

The workforce of the tiffin box suppliers trust, the cooperative body

that runs the system, is 5,000. Each tiffin box contains two or three

containers, often carrying traditional Indian fare -- rice, curry,

chapattis, and vegetables.

Housewives even send notes to their hubbies in these boxes.

The process begins early in the morning. Cooked food is picked up

from houses and caterers by Dabbawala taken to the nearest railway

station. There, the different tiffin boxes are sorted out for specific

destination stations and loaded on to large, rectangular trays

accordingly.

Each tray can hold up to 40 boxes. These trays then travel in local

trains down to various stations. At each station, there are another set

of dabbawalla’s who quickly take the dabbas meant to be distributed in

that area and push in dabbas meant for other stations.

A Mumbai local halts at a station for about 20 seconds or less and thus,

the Dabbawala have to work with precision and speed. During rush

hour, it's a nightmare. Ask anyone who has done time on Mumbai

locals.

At each station, the boxes are once more sorted for localities and

offices and taken there by handcarts or sometimes carried by

individuals. "We carry up to 35 kg for distances of a couple

of kilometers," points out Medge.

The boxes are placed in the offices' reception area by 12.30 pm and

are picked up from the same spot by the deliverer a couple of hours

later.

The whole process then starts again in the reverse. The boxes are

picked up from the offices, taken to the nearest station and sorted for

their journey home.

Forbes magazine gave this service its highest quality rating of Sigma 6,

which means that per million transactions, there is just an error of one.

The service runs every working day. "Every day, we deliver 175,000 to

200,000 lunch boxes," said Medge. "We use colours and code markings

to ensure faultless delivery."

These codes would baffle a cryptographer! But they make perfect

sense to the Dabbawala. The codes and colours indicate the place

from where a dabba is collected; the station where it must be unloaded

and the office it is to be delivered.

Explaining one part of the code, Medge said they use English alphabets

to mark out stations -- such as A for Andheri and Bo for Borivli.

The men who form part of the organisation are not employees. "If you

have employees, then you have unions and strikes," said Medge,

revealing his deep business acumen. "We are all shareholders in the

Trust and we thus share in the earnings."

On an average, a Dabbawala can make about Rs 3,000 to 5,000. The

Trust provides several services to its members, including schools for

the children and health care in emergencies.

What makes the Dabbawala an extremely tight-knit group is that they

all hail from the same region, Pune district in Maharashtra. "We all

come from the region east of the Sahyadri [Western Ghats], and

everyone who joins us is known to us," said Medge.

"If an outsider does join in, we initially employ him on a fixed salary,

and if in a couple of years he wins our trust, we may make him a

shareholder," added Medge.

Only a handful of the Trust members are not from the Pune region and

most of them are related to each other. They all share similar customs

and traditions and worship Vithoba of Pandharpur.

"In fact, today is Prabhodini Ekadashi, when yatras (pilgrimages) to

Pandharpur are made. So all our members will be fasting today,"

Medge explained.

Yet, while Vithoba is their presiding deity, their success is linked to the

Mumbai suburban train network. On those odd days when the railways

ground to a halt, the dabbas are not delivered.

But then, if Mumbai's locals aren't running, most Mumbaiites won't

reach their offices.

Why have they not tried a similar service in other cities?

"Mumbai's geography makes it unique," Medge points out. "It is a

longish city where residences are in the north and offices in the south,

so it makes our work simple. We tried a similar service in Delhi a few

years ago and it didn't work out; Delhi being a circular city, the

logistics were difficult."

The dabbawallah service began way back in 1890, when Mumbai was a

much smaller city. "At that time, migration of workers to the city had

just begun and they wanted home-made food at their workplaces.

Mumbai is a city with people from all over India, but the South Indians

want their food, while the Gujaratis want their food. Our service began

to fill this growing need," said Medge.

Today, the service delivers not just homemade food but also picks up

food from caterers and delivers them to offices. But Medge said that

food from caterers are still a small segment of the total operation.

"Most people want to eat homemade food in the offices," he said.

As long as the Dabbawalaservice is there, Mumbaikars alone in the

world would have the option of eating homemade food in office without

the bother of having to carry a cumbersome lunchbox.

Planning

CODING

The origin of the dabbawalla’s a hundred years odd ago was as a

service of Tiffin

carriage for the Parsi population. Soon, more and more people moved

into the city and the

dabbawalla’s had to cater to people of various religions. The suburbs

kept going further

and the patrons list kept getting longer. More and more carriers were

pressed into service

and soon, there was a clash in functioning styles of various groups.

The number of tiffins increased for the dabbawalla’s as the days

passed on. As every

Tiffin box had to be carried to and fro mapping each box to its carrier

was crucial or else

it would lead to chaos. For this the dabbawalla’s started tying strings

or wires or threads

to their boxes. But soon these methods were inadequate as the

number of tiffins grew

exceptionally. Thus the need for a new form of coding came up, which

could be

understood by the illiterate dabbawalla’s and was inexpensive.

Hence, in the 1970’s a senior member in Raghunath Medge’s family

decided to

implement a new system where all the box codes and markings were

uniform for the

dabbawalla’s. This system would cater to any number of tiffins no

matter the growth in

additions. This was an ingenious creation. It served as a common

code for the

dabbawalla’s which was easy to decipher.

That was the most important thing to remember while creating the

codes. The

Dabbawalla’s, being illiterate should be able to understand it and

explain it with ease to

new comers and outsiders.

This coding system eventually stood the test of time and proved

extensible. With coding

in place, there was enough scope to factor in new developments like

adding new

dabbawalla’s or new office blocks or new sources and destinations.

The new system depends on common protocols, a typical Indian

approach to versatile

distribution. Each tiff in containing the food has, number of codes in

alphabets and

numbers on its top which identify the following:

1. The code allotted to each dabbawalla in a group that picks up the

Tiffin form a

particular area or suburb.

2. The code of the origin station, which is usually one of the suburbs on

western,

central or harbour lines.

3. The code for destination, which is Churchgate, CST or any other

commercial area.

4. The code of the dabbawalla in the destination area who handles the

Tiffin there

5. The code for the location or office building in the destination area

6. The floor or the room in that building

Besides these that are displays on the top of the dabba there is also a

difference in the colour of paints or chalk that they use to write the

codes. Different groups will have different colour cod written on the top

of the dabba so that the Tiffin belonging to a group remains distinct.

This is necessary because there is usually more than just one group

present at each station. The destination codes will be the same for all

groups at the same station. This makes it difficult to distinguish their

tiffins, so the simplest way of bringing the distinctions that is required

is by coding with different colours. This is a simple and

easy way of differentiating the codes which is also easy to understand

for the illiterate dabbawalla’s. The maximum number of colour used

in this system is 7.

Incidentally each group of dabbawalla’s must also carry coloured

pencils or chalks so that

they can write the codes if they have been erased or are difficult to

interpret.

Obviously, each and every dabbawalla must know the coding system

very well and must

also know all the dabba’s in his group with respect to the origin and

destination

Let, us know look at a few examples of these codes on the tiffins to

better understand the

system and what it all denotes:

We can now separate each element that is written on the Tiffin cover

or top forr

understanding what it means. Let us follow the pattern anti-clockwise:-

VP – The first thing on the Tiffin is the code for the originating station.

This is the station

from where the dabbawalla picks up the Tiffin in the morning. In this

case, VP denotes

Vile Parle. The area under this station will include Juhu and also J.V.P.D

scheme since

this is the only station, which is nearest. Even if the dabbawalla goes to

the most interior

parts like in Juhu, it will not be mentioned in the coding simply because

the dabbawalla’s

are just concerned about the respective railway stations.

E – This is the code for the dabbawalla who is picking up the Tiffin from

its origin or

home. In this case, the dabbawalla with the code of ‘E’ will be a part of

the group

distinguished by the colour code ‘RED’. In many instances, the code

will be the initial of

the name of the dabbawalla. This is one of the elements that can be

changed during the

course of time if the dabbawalla for that particular customer changes.

3 – This is the code for the destination area. This may not necessarily

be restricted to a

station only. For instance, the Churchgate is allotted number codes

from 1-10. Number 11

is allotted to marine lines, 12 to Charni road and so on. In this

example, the number 3 is

allotted to the area between flora fountain and cross Maidan area.

Other prime locations

would include Nariman Point, stock exchange, Ballard pier, RBI etc.

9 – VS – 12

9 – This is the code number for the dabbawalla who delivers the Tiffin

to the destination

office from Churchgate station. This is the dabbawalla who is

responsible for delivering it

to the respective office and picking it up after the lunch hours. He is a

part of another

group from the one he worked with at the originating station. Thus, in

most cases, each

dabbawalla will be a part of more than one group for sure, one at the

origin and one at the

destination.

VS - This code denotes the exact location or more likely, the building’s

initial in the area

that falls under Churchgate station. In this case, it is VSNL building. VS

being the initial

for the building is unique and therefore, creates no confusion

whatsoever for the

dabbawalla’s. Office buildings around southern Mumbai are very

popular and hence, easy to comprehend when given in codes. Other

examples would be ‘M’ for Mittal Towers,

‘R’ for RBI, ‘MC’ for Maker Chambers and so on.

12 – finally, the last code among the three codes that form the right

side of the top of the

dabba is the floor on the building (VSNL) or the room number in case of

buildings with

large number of rooms on each floor. Such an example would be Stock

Exchange, RBI

and BMC etc.

The Nutan trust is the apex body representing the dabbawalla’s. It is

trim hierarchy with

three tiers:

THE GOVERNING COUNCIL

THE MUKKADAMS OR TEAM LEADERS

THE DABBAWALLA’S THEMSELVES

THE GOVERNING COUNCIL

The Governing Council is a 13 member body, for which elections are

held once every 5

years. The committee works on the guidelines of the ‘Cooperatives

Societies Act’. With

Mr. Raghunath D. Medge as the president, the committee includes the

vice president,

General Secretary, Treasurer and 9 Directors.

The president of Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Charity Trust and

Association

heads the association followed by the Vice President, both of them are

responsible for

taking monthly meetings, checking bank accounts and solving

problems of the members.

This is followed by the General Secretary who looks into the daily

matters of the

Association like drafting letters, Making Vouchers, Collecting Rs. 15 as

a fee of the Trust

etc. then the treasurer who looks into the accounts of the Trust. The 9

directors in all help

the president in decision-making and also the smooth functioning of

the Trust.

There are no internal disputes that can lead to unrest in the

organization. This great

coordination enables great work efficiency and simpler decision

making. A simple reason

why the organization can sustain with its trim structure is because

each dabbawalla is an

individual businessman.

THE MUKADAM’S

A Mukadam is the team leader for a group of 25-30 group members.

Although his key

responsibility is sorting the tiffins, he plays a crucial role in settling

disputes, maintaining

records of payments and receipts of members of his group and getting

new clientele.

Another Key function of a Mukadam is to ensure consumer satisfaction.

He is generally

chosen as the leader on the basis of his experience and skill.

THE DABBAWALLA’S

Each dabbawala is a businessman himself. Therefore, each one has to

find out his own

way to maximize a sustainable business. The system has adopted the

Strategic Business

Units (SBU) concept way before it was even introduced by Peter

Drucker. The entire

system is highly decentralized.

The dabbawalla’s operate in groups of roughly 15-25 members each

carrying

around 30-35 tiffins. However there are dabbawalla’s that operate

individually

too. Around 120 groups are registered. All groups are independent of

each other

as far as money matters are concerned.

Each group is responsible to generate money for all its needs and

day to day

functioning. The rationale of developing such a system is to improve

the

competitiveness of the system. This system has adopted the Strategic

Business

Unit (SBU) concept, way before it was introduced by Peter Drucker.

In the association’s code or ethics, no dabbawalla is allowed to

undercut or

outsmart the other. However groups can coordinate among themselves

to get new

clients. This is the uniqueness of this competitive collaboration. There

is unity at

the delivery end, which leads to perfect cutting-edge performance by

each

dabbawalla.

Some groups also have this understanding that when any one of the

members gets

a new Tiffin business, he treats the others on that day. This is an

informal gesture

of course and there is no compulsion.

Another remarkable advantage of this group system is that there is

a backup

system for absentees. If any member abstains from duty on a certain

day, another

member will always be there to collect and deliver the tiffins on the

absentees’

behalf. “We work like a cricket team; if any of the members gets

injured we have

a substitute for him. Like any team we have a substitute player in our

group” says

Raghunath Medge.

As far as social activities are concerned, each group of the individual

systems

contributes Rs. 50 per member for the yearly pooja that is held in their

area.

Each group is financially self-sufficient. Each group pools in the

collections,

distributes and equally shares the monthly spoils amounting to Rs.

5000 to Rs.

6000 per person.

E.g. If there is a group of 10 members with varying individual monthly

incomes

that range from 3000 to 7000 adding upto a total of 40000, then the

collections are

pooled together and then divided equally among all members. Thus,

each member

will eventually get Rs. 4000 per month in that group. Out of these, Rs.

15 per

person goes towards the mandal as welfare fund of the trust.

WHO IS THE DABBAWALLA?

The dabbawalla’s were a homogenous group in many ways. Its

members, traditionally

male, hailed from the same geographical region – known as Mavla –

located east of the

Sahyadri near Pune, and they spoke the same language (Marathi).

They shared similar

customs and traditions, such as gathering together for a week every

April for a festival in

their hometown. They wore the same dress, a loose white dhoti shirt,

cotton pyjamas and

their trademark white oval cap.

All of these combined to form a distinct local identity for the

dabbawalla’s. They were

easily recognized even in the busiest of locations. Pedestrians and

commuters yielded to

the dabbawalla’s in order not to interfere with their service delivery.

Seemingly always in

a rush the dabbawalla’s were known for their reliability and work ethic.

They ascribed to

the traditional Indian belief that “work is workshop”. Averaging 55

years in age,

dabbawalla’s were typically lean, active and physically fit. While the

minimum level of

education was Grade 7 most never got past Grade 8 schooling.

Each dabbawalla earned a monthly income between Rs.5000 and

6000. Out of this

income each dabbawalla was responsible for paying:

Rs.120 for monthly railway pass that allowed them unlimited access

to Mumbai’s

railways.

Rs.60 for the maintenance of the bicycle or the push cart and

The compulsory monthly contribution of Rs.15 to the Trust.

“It is a good earning for a semi-literate by Indian standards,” observed

Medge.

"Farming earns a pittance, compelling us to move to the city. And the

Tiffin service is a

business of repute since we are not working under anyone. It's our own

business, we are

partners, it confers a higher status in society," says Sambhaji, another

dabbawala. "We

earn more than many padha-likha (educated) graduates," says

Khengle.

Each new recruit would undergo an apprenticeship for 2 years and a

fixed remuneration

of Rs.2000 per month. Each apprentice was then required to purchase

a delivery route

before being admitted as a dabbawalla. The price was the route was

fixed as a ratio for

the average monthly earnings of the group at 1:7. For instance, most

groups’ monthly

earnings were approximately Rs.1, 40,000, so the apprentice was

expected to deposit

Rs.20, 000 for a delivery route. This money went to the Shared Capital

of the Trust and

would be returned to the dabbawalla upon retirement. Once admitted,

the dabbawalla was

guaranteed a monthly income and a job for life.

INTRODUCTION OF A NEW MEMBER:

The village address and other details are taken and then the

membership to the

association and bank is granted.

Two guarantors from the group are required. Usually, they are the

senior members

of the group.

The new member is paid a fixed amount of Rs. 2000 for the first 6-7

months till

he is completely trained for handling his own business. (These people

are from the

villages and therefore take considerable time in adjusting to the city

life and

systems).

Lastly, when joining the group, the new comer has to contribute to

the capital of

the association in a 1:7 ratio of the group's average monthly earnings.

That means

that the new entrant must contribute Rs.5000 as capital if his group's-

average

monthly earnings are Rs.35000.

There is a belief in religious neutrality and therefore, people of all

castes are

welcome to join, nevertheless, most of the dabbawalla’s still remain

Maharashtrians and a small proportion is Rajasthanis.

WOMAN IN BUSINESS

Working shoulder to shoulder with the men are the female folk,

affectionately called

"Moushi". If woman can work as engine drivers, bus drivers or as senior

executives in the

corporate world, there is nothing that can stop them from working in

this profession too.

Although there are just two women compared to male dabbawalla’s

numbering around

4,500 they are for certain. One of these women works with her

husband in this profession

and then at the end of the day also carries out the household chores.

With such a hard life

for twenty years, she feels pride to own her own house.

The other member carries 18 tiffins everyday!! Her husband had

returned to the village

after succumbing to hardships of Mumbai life. But she went on in this

city and is now

earning her livelihood owing to this profession. Thus, the dabbawalla

association ensures

that woman too get their equal right for contributing to their family’s or

individual

incomes.

The quintessential aspect of this organization is that nobody is an

employer and none are

employees. Each dabbawalla is a businessman by himself and they all

are ‘partners’. The

association just facilitates the coordination among these small groups.

This is also a

characteristic of logistical operations where co-ordination among

various factors of

production and operation is of prime importance.

The annual turnover of this business is Rs. 50 Crores!!

Woman in business

Mrs. Bhikhubai of Kandivali

Mrs. Anandibai of Borivali

Mrs. Parvatabai of Karale (Ghatkopar)

Mrs. Laxmibai Bagade of Santa Cruz

Staffing:-

Just like old times, recruitment is essentially done

through word of mouth and from neighbouring towns

and villages in western Maharashtra including Junnar,

Ambegaon, Khed, Maval, Mulshi, Akola,

Rajgurunagar, etc.

The recruitment policy is such that even before a

new recruit leaves his hometown for Mumbai, his

area of operation and remuneration are decided.

The whole system operates as a loose cooperative,

and with customer satisfaction levels so high, there’s

little need for a rigid operating structure. The

essence lies in its simplicity.

LeadingThe Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Association is

a streamlined 120-year-old

organization with 4,500 semi-literate members

providing a quality door-to-door service to a large

and loyal customer base. The Trust was responsible

for managing the overall meal delivery system. it

worked in close co-ordination with the Mumbai Tiffin

Box Suppliers Association, a forum that provided

opportunities for social interactions among the

dabbawalla’s and the Dakkhan Mavle Sahakari

Patpedhi, a credit union that catered to the financial

needs of individual dabbawalla’s by providing

personal loans. Given its charitable trust status, the

Trust was also involved in community initiatives by

providing free food and accommodation to low-

income families at some pilgrimages centres.

The Trust had a three-tier structure Executive

Committee, Mukadams and dabbawalla’s.

Under this structure, the basic operating unit was the

team. Each team, which comprised

between five and eight dabbawalla’s, was headed by

a Mukadam. Having risen from the

ranks of the dabbawalla’s, a Mukadam’s primary

daily responsibility involved the sorting

of the dabba’s. However as team leader the

Mukadam performed several administrative

tasks that included maintaining records of client

payments, arbitrating disputes between

dabbawalla’s and customers, and apprentice

training. The Mukadam was also in charge of

acquiring new clients for the team and managing

customer satisfaction. New customers

purchased their dabba’s from the dabbawalla’s when

service was commenced. Dabba’s

were typically replaced at cost to the customer once

every two years. Seven to eight Mukadams

aggregated their efforts and constituted a profit

centre, each profit centre was referred to as a

“group.” There were about 120 groups in total.

While each group was managed autonomously, its

members stepped in without hesitation to

help other groups in dealing with emergencies such

as dabbawalla absenteeism. Monthly group

maintenance costs totalled Rs.35000/, covering the

maintenance of the bicycles, push carts and wooden

boxes the dabbawalla’s used in their daily deliveries.

The 13 members of the Executive Committee, which

was elected by the general body every 5 years,

coordinated the activities of the various work groups.

The Committee, which undertook all major decisions

for the trust and worked on the principles specified

in the Cooperative Societies Act, met on the 15th of

each month. Operational issues typically dominated

each meetings agenda. Examples of such issues

included disputes with the Mumbai city railways over

dabbawalla’s not carrying their monthly passes or

the ID issued to them by the Trust, and with the city

police when dabbawalla’s parked their push carts or

bicycles where parking was not permitted. Annually

there were few reports of lost or stolen dabba’s. In

such instances clients were reimbursed by the

individual Dabbawalla’s or given a free dabba.

Controlling

RULES AND POLICIES

An important feature of the dabbawalla’s service is

customer satisfaction.

In cases of theft or loss of a Tiffin-box, if any carrier

is found guilty then the client is allowed to deduct

the costs from the dabbawalla's charges for the

subsequent month. If a client receives improper

services by any dabbawalla, for which a complaint

has been made to the association; that particular

Dabbawala will be directed to end his services with

that client and another Dabbawala will be

allotted to the client. In this manner, no future

disputes between that client and the dabbawalla will

arise and with the allocation of another Dabbawala in

his place, the client will also receive continuous and

efficient service. Thus leading to greater customer

satisfaction.

The association also has the responsibility of

handling all the internal disputes.

Apart from discouraging undercutting between two

dabbawalla’s, the association has to handle all kinds

of disputes arising between two dabbawalla’s. For

this reason, the association charges Rs. 100-200/-

before looking into the complaint.

This is done to ensure that the official’s time is not

wasted on any petty disputes.

A meeting is convened on the 15th of every month at

the Dadar office where all the committee members

assemble and all complaints and disputes arc heard

and resolved. The dabbawalla’s are not supposed to

take any major decisions and are

not supposed to claim any amount arising out of a

dispute until the actual dispute matter is brought

forward in front of everyone during the monthly

meet.

Each Tiffin carrier has to pay Rs. 15 to the union

every month. This money accumulates and helps as

aid in celebrating and funding their festival at various

locations in Maharashtra. This is a social activity of

the association since the dabbawalla’s get proper

accommodation whenever they go to these places.

(Unfortunately, there are a lot of Dabbawalla’s who

don’t pay this contribution at all.)

In the association’s code of ethics, no dabbawala is

allowed to undercut another.

As far as possible, coordination among groups is

encouraged so that undercutting

doesn’t lead to disputes.

The whole dabbawalla’s union takes a one week

break every year in the month of

March when they all go to Ambegaon for their annual

village festival. This is

called the ‘Bhairavnath Maharaj Utsav'. This is a

welcome break from the hectic

day-to-day routine that the dabbawalla’s follow. All

customers are informed much

in advance about this period when the dabbawalla’s

will collectively remain

absent from duty. This is the individual dabbawala's

responsibility to

communicate with the clients and in order to

authenticate the reason for the leave;

the association also circulates notices for customers

along with each carrier.

Wearing the traditional white cap is very

important. It is the only integral symbol

of the dabbawala’. If a dabbawala is caught not

wearing the cap. He will be fined

Rs.30 when spotted by the officials.

Each dabbawalla is allowed to carry a maximum of

35 Tiffin boxes. If the number

is more than 35, then the excess tiffins need to be

carried by another carrier.

In the long historical relationship with Mumbai city,

the dabbawalla’s have one

major unattended demand. The union has constantly

requested the Railways to

reserve one goods compartment for them during

peak hours but they have not

been adhered to. Bu tit is an unwritten rule that

people are not to load the

particular goods compartment occupied by

dabbawalla’s for their goods. Meaning

between 10:00 and 11:30 am and 15:00 to 16:30

hours commuters are generally

are not supposed to board the goods compartment

occupied by the dabbawalla’s.

In fact, until the 1970s, the particular compartment

read something like this

“Reserved for Tiffin carriers”. But with growing

number of commuters and more

and more demand for better service and space, this

reservation has been

discontinued.

Every dabbawala has to handle his own expenses.

Handcart and Bicycle

maintenance. Railway pass, luggage pass and all

other contributions and fees.

They can also opt for the loan from the Union at

around 5% p.a. which is lower

than market rate of in interest. The union also runs a

small co-operative bank in

order to help the dabbawalla’s and the community as

a whole. The dabbawalla’s

belong to a large community and hence, it is a part

of the association‘s social

commitment to help achieve the upliftment of the

community.