When you think of India, what comes to mind? Curries, musicals, trains? No, what I'm going to talk about today is their takeaway brother, who exists like a "god" in India. In fact, Indians do not call these people food delivery brothers, but call them dabbawalas (dabawala means express delivery of lunch boxes), and this industry has a history of 125 years in India. Isn't that surprising?
In India, it is impossible to bring meals due to the congestion of transportation to work and school, so the presence of Dabawala plays a role in transmitting it. Every Monday to Saturday, Dabawala is active on the streets of Mumbai. They start picking up food at each customer's home at 10 a.m. every day, and then rush to the nearby train station to sort the boxes. They are then sent by train to different train stations, where they are sorted again. Finally, it will be delivered to different areas by 13:00 by different Dabawala. This astonishingly complex arrangement has an error rate of only 1 in 6 million, and the whole process is strictly controlled within 3 hours. If we also have this kind of service, I would also like to order one, and I will be happy to think about it!
Many of the people who work in Dabawala are illiterate or semi-literate, so this complex trading series relies on scribbled and esoteric alphanumeric codes on each lunch box, a strange way of identifying them that is designed to be easily understood by all Dabawala. Dabawala's motivation for this work is to earn around 12,000 rupees (£140) a month. This salary is considered a good income in India, and it also brings a certain prestige to those who work in Dabawala.
As a cooperative, all Dabawala have an equal partnership with an elected director named Mukadams. "You don't have to answer 'sir' or 'yes, sir' to anyone," the Dabawala employee said. Dabawala has great respect and love for their profession and their service to their clients is built on more than 100 years of trust. In their hearts, no superficial respect can compare to the fear of mistakes and respect for customers. Their work relies on teamwork and time management, and ordinary citizens will be courteous when they see "dabawala" on bicycles, carts, or hikes at train stations and on the streets. Every minute made me feel that the world is full of love, and it also made me look at India with admiration.
Food delivery in India is also attracting the attention of a new generation of tech entrepreneurs. Many investors "burn cash" to make advanced applications that offer discounts in the marketplace rather than building a reliable supply chain and a solid business plan. In fact, they can borrow from Dabawala technology to provide food distribution in India. For example, Swiggy and Runnr, two leading food delivery companies, also draw on the expertise of Dabawala.
The co-founder and CEO said, "When we expanded our business into Mumbai a year ago, we contacted Dabawala and got some advice. We also contracted around 200 Dabawala to work part-time after they completed their lunch delivery assignments. Attempts are being made to offer regular lunch deliveries to large companies like Bangalore in order to compete more directly with Dabawala. If Runnr decides to launch the delivery of scheduled lunches in Mumbai, the CEO said he would consider working with Dabawala.
In the face of competition, many Dabawala are convinced that these are not their opponents. Because in the crowded streets of Mumbai, trains and bicycles are indeed faster than cars and motorcycles, and parking is also a problem. However, Dabawala will not be afraid of new opportunities, but they do not want Dabawala's core business to change, because the link between work and spirit is Dabawala's eternal strength.