February 23, 2017
With around 5,000 employees delivering 2 lakh lunch boxes every day, the Mumbai Dabbawallah is one of the biggest tiffin services covering the entire city of Mumbai. The Six Sigma certified dabbawallahs are world renowned. The way the manage their work is one of the main topics taught in every management institute.
‘A day with Dabbawallah,’ a one-day national workshop conducted in major management institutes all over India, was organised today at VLB Janakiammal College of Arts and Science, Kovaipudur.
Subodh B. Sangle (Speaker) and Chintaman Bacche (Dabbawala) conducted the workshop and gave hands-on practice, which started from documenting, sorting and delivering of dabbas to different areas within the college premises.
Around 300 students and research scholars got trained in team building, innovation and chain marketing strategies.
When asked why the dabbawallahs did not extend their service to other cities, Sangle said, “The dabbawallah service is basically dominated by a community called Varkari, which believes that food donation is the biggest virtue, so it’s not a business for them… this is the foremost reason.”
He added, “Most of the people doing this work are locals and some who settled in Mumbai long ago. Another critical factor is the transport system, especially the local trains, which cover the length and breadth of the city through which most of the dabbawallahs deliver the tiffin boxes to respective areas.”
“The program was well-received by all the students as the workshop comprised of videos and hands-on practice,” said R. Preetha, Head of the Department of Management.