army on a mission to quench hunger

by Rachael Fernandes (India)

A leap into the unknown India

when in the city of Mumbai the herd of industrial cattle race to their workplace , the Indian middle class housewife enters the kitchen to create a peace of heaven on a plate to send her husband love packed in a box commonly know as the "Dabba". every hardworking husband who leaves from home to reach his office goes with an excitement in his heart for his heavenly dabba that will reach him at lunch. A tradition that has been going on since ages is known as the Dabba system, every typical Indian housewife or mother sends his /her son , daughter ,husband fresh home cooked meals everyday so that during the hectic work hours at least homely meals can give them some relaxation. but how do these Dabbas reach the workplaces? An army of 5000-6000 men knows as the Mumbai Dabbawala get to their task everyday mid morning, travel from dabbas that have to be delivered to offices before lunch break. These Dabbawalas have a connectivity throughout the entire city and they have like very few countable complains since 1890.since 1890, Dressed in white outfit and traditional Gandhi Cap, Mumbai Army of 5,000 Dabbawalas fulfilling the hunger of almost 200,000 Mumbaikar with home-cooked food that is lug between home and office daily. For more than a century this team has been part of this grime-ridden metropolis-of-dreams. It is know a work of god Quenching someone's hunger and these men make sure that no one stays hungry during lunch hours. it is also known that prince Charles and Richard Branson had accompanied these Dabbawalas for a day to know how they work. These men risk their lives and travel in local trains carrying the heavy burden of around 2000 dabbas at once. they truly are superheroes without a cape. every since I've discovered and met these dabbawala it fascinates me that how can such a large network of men never fail in their task and always deliver on time. its pretty surprising also to see how they manage travelling everyday in the horrifying over crowded local trains of Mumbai, they are and example to every project management and management course student, they are an inspiration to every person who aspires to become a successful entrepreneur` because its easy to run large scale businesses but to run something like this requires hard work and labour work which is the most difficult thing. what i learnt from this is that nothing is impossible in life if we are willing to do something it just needs a little hard work and dedication. if we are dedicated to our work, the chances of failure are very low. No work or job in this world is small everything requires skill and talent. for over a century these dabbawalas have managed to continue their work and make happy memories with their customers , they have a dabba full of smiles packed and ready to serve, these dabbawalas have a ton load of interesting experiences and stories to tell because for them smile on the face of their customers is very important. its time to become a dabbawala in our hearts ,our aim should be to spread smiles.