Mumbai Dabbawalah
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Dabbawala
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mumbai Dabbahwalas
A dabbawala (Marathi: डबेवाला); also spelled as dabbawalla or dabbawallah; literally meaning ("box person"), is a person in India, most commonly found in the city of Mumbai, who is employed in a unique service industry whose primary business is collecting freshly cooked food in lunch boxes from the residences of the office workers (mostly in the suburbs), delivering it to their respective workplaces and returning the empty boxes back to the customer 's residence by using various modes of transport. "Tiffin" is an old-fashioned English word for a light lunch or afternoon snack, and sometimes, by extension, for the box it is carried in. For this reason, the dabbawalas are sometimes called Tiffin Wallahs. Contents [hide] * 1 Etymology and historical roots * 1.1 The Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Trust * 2 Supply chain * 2.1 Appearance and coding * 2.2 Uninterrupted services * 3 Economic analysis * 3.1 Awards and recognition * 4 In Media * 5 References * 6 Further reading * 7 External links |
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[edit]Etymology and historical roots
A dabba, or Indian-style tiffin box.
The word "Dabbawala" in Marathi when literally translated, means "one who carries a box". "Dabba" means a box (usually a cylindrical tin or aluminium container), while "wala" is a suffix, denoting a doer or holder of the preceding word.[1] The closest meaning of the Dabbawala in English would be the "lunch box delivery man". Though this profession seems to be simple, it is actually a highly specialized service in Mumbai which is over a century old and has become integral to the cultural life of this city.
The concept of the dabbawala originated when India was under British rule. Many British people who came to the colony did not like the local food, so a service was set up to bring lunch to
Dabbawala
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mumbai Dabbahwalas
A dabbawala (Marathi: डबेवाला); also spelled as dabbawalla or dabbawallah; literally meaning ("box person"), is a person in India, most commonly found in the city of Mumbai, who is employed in a unique service industry whose primary business is collecting freshly cooked food in lunch boxes from the residences of the office workers (mostly in the suburbs), delivering it to their respective workplaces and returning the empty boxes back to the customer 's residence by using various modes of transport. "Tiffin" is an old-fashioned English word for a light lunch or afternoon snack, and sometimes, by extension, for the box it is carried in. For this reason, the dabbawalas are sometimes called Tiffin Wallahs. Contents [hide] * 1 Etymology and historical roots * 1.1 The Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Trust * 2 Supply chain * 2.1 Appearance and coding * 2.2 Uninterrupted services * 3 Economic analysis * 3.1 Awards and recognition * 4 In Media * 5 References * 6 Further reading * 7 External links |
-------------------------------------------------
[edit]Etymology and historical roots
A dabba, or Indian-style tiffin box.
The word "Dabbawala" in Marathi when literally translated, means "one who carries a box". "Dabba" means a box (usually a cylindrical tin or aluminium container), while "wala" is a suffix, denoting a doer or holder of the preceding word.[1] The closest meaning of the Dabbawala in English would be the "lunch box delivery man". Though this profession seems to be simple, it is actually a highly specialized service in Mumbai which is over a century old and has become integral to the cultural life of this city.
The concept of the dabbawala originated when India was under British rule. Many British people who came to the colony did not like the local food, so a service was set up to bring lunch to
References: 1. ^ Pathak R.C. (1946, Reprint 2000). The Standard Dictionary of the Hindi Language, Varanasi: Bhargava Book Depot,pp.300,680 2. ^ "Bombay Dabbawalas go high-tech". Physorg.com. Retrieved 2011-09-15. 3. ^ Mumbai 's amazing Dabbawalas.Rediff.com (November 11, 2005). 4. ^ a b In India, Grandma Cooks, They Deliver from The New York Times 5. ^ BBC News: India 's tiffinwalas fuel economy 6. ^ http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/economy/dabbawalas-to-strike-for-the-first-time-in-120-years/article2369850.ece 7. ^ The Guardian. A Bombay lunchbox (June 24, 2002). 8. ^ Amberish K Diwanji, "Dabbawallahs: Mumbai 's best managed business", Rediff.com, November 4, 2003 9. ^ Mydabbawala.com: Accolades To Dabbawala 10. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gear:_India_Special