Dabbawalas, delivering dubbas with love

Dabbawalas delivering lunch & love notes - The Times of India: "The same face under the crisp white topi, at the appointed hour, every day at our doors. We have known our dabbawalas for years as carriers of lunches to offices, with rarely any mix-up. Now, in a gradual expansion of their role, they are lugging a lot more than just that.

Over time, they've become delivery boys for all kinds of things, besides the packed lunch. Mobile phones forgotten in the morning rush is one of the most common things they carry at mid-day, followed by files, suddenly demanded by the office.

Sometimes, dabbawalas are even agents of blossoming love - with some people sending love notes, scented cards and a tiny something with lunch boxes.

"We often have requests from housewives to carry several things like cell phones, money or wallets, some confidential corporate documents," said Kiran Gawande, secretary of Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers' Association. "We don't encourage it as one dabba changes four to five hands, but we don't even refuse a request because we realize that the home and the office are really far away in most cases." "

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