India Facts (5): Mumbai Dabba Wallahs (FPFS Challenge)

Story of Mumbai's Dabba Wallahs

Image Source: https://worksthatwork.com/1/dabbawallas

Have you ever come across a manual system of delivery where over 200,000 tiffins are taken daily & delivered successfully? Doesn't seem like strange yet? No?...You will feel it now – consider there is no automated software or database, many deliverymen are not educated to read, and they all follow century old system of number & color pattern of identification. The system has been used for over a century and there’s only about one mistake per six million deliveries (In a 2002 analysis, Forbes Magazine found that it had a six-sigma, or 99.99% reliability rating) – I am sure you must be feeling butterflies in your stomach now. This is a small miracle of logistics. Mumbai’s 5000 dabba-wallahs (or food container persons - or tiffin wallahs) work tirelessly to deliver hot lunches to office workers throughout the city. 

In Mumbai, most office goers prefer home cooked food over market food due to hygienic,. taste & monetary reasons. The concept of Dabba-wallah is a great answer to this need. Every morning 100s of dabba-wallahs roam on their bicycles to different residential colonies.  They collect lunch boxes from homes of office workers, deliver the lunch to the workplace through this full proof delivery methods (either through their bicycles or local trains) and returns the empty lunch boxes back to the workers home in afternoon.  In number of cases, they also carry lunch boxes from different restaurants and deliver them to their designated address and then return the tiffins back to restaurant later. If you ask to make it more detailed then this is how it works:

1) Dabba wallahs collect tiffins from different areas and they all assemble at nearest railway station.

2) At assembly point, all tiffins are sorted out based on their century old system which works on certain numbers, area wise & color theme format. Keep in mind, this looks manual but super error proof.

Source: Google Images

3) From railway station(s), tiffins are traveled to the nearest point (which is the next railway station near to the specified destination) which covers the bunch of lunch boxes under that area.

4) From this point, different dabba wallahs get assignment of delivering set of lunch boxes to specified areas. 

Source: Google Images

5) Finally same process is followed while returning the tiffins back to the office workers homes.

In any business, the success depends on the quality of product or service it offers. In case of dabba-wallahs their uninterrupted service, timely delivery even in acute weather condition are unique selling points.

Source: Google Images

Their service is so reliable and secure that people used to communicate between home and work by putting message inside the lunch box. This concept is beautifully showcased in a movie: Lunchbox. I watched this movie during my flight from IGI to EWR. :)

International Acclaim:

-  The dabba-wallah business have got ISO 9001:2000 certified by the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand

-  Prince Charles invited them to his wedding with Camilla Parker Bowles in London in April 2005. He also met with them during his India visit earlier.

-  It’s been featured in Harvard Business School case study : The Dabbawala System: On-Time Delivery, Every Time  where their methods are being compared to six sigma or even better. That too with an effective methods of delivery which is very simple, dirt cheap & moreover environment friendly.

We should be proud of this kind service which is unique of its own & entirely Indian - recognized Internationally. At the same time, we need to give credit to Western Railway for it's network across Mumbai geography connecting every part of the city.

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Hope you liked this post under India Facts Series. From last 5 days, I have tried to select different theme every time to show interesting facts of India. I connected this series (of India Facts) to Five photos Five stories Challenge (FPFS) which is- Post a picture for 5 consecutive days and attach a post to it. I have been tagged by my dear blogger friend Shweta Dave for this challenge. I would like to thank Shweta for selecting me. It's been an honor to get the nomination from her & I must say it was challenging for me to write for 5 consecutive days, but I enjoyed it as well.

Here I will take break for few days and then start with this series later some time. As per the rules, I have to tag a blogger friend to pass this challenge. So on 5th (& final) day, I will select Roohi Bhatnager who writes great stories on her blog. Hope she will like it.

India Facts (4): Mighty Himalayas (FPFS Challenge)

The Himalayas

Source: Google Images

As the world’s highest mountains – with the highest peak in India (Khangechenzonga) reaching 8598 m – the Himalaya create an almost impregnable, indestructible, a giant boundary separating India from its neighbors to the north. This range is home to nine of the ten highest peaks on Earth, including the highest, Mount Everest. The Himalayas have profoundly shaped the cultures of South Asia. Many Himalayan peaks are sacred in both Buddhism and Hinduism. Number of religious centers of different faiths can be found under the foothills of Himalayan Region.

These mountains formed when the Indian subcontinent broke away from Gondwanaland, a super-continental in the Southern Hemisphere that included Africa, Antarctica, Australia and South America.  All by itself India drifted north and finally slammed slowly, but the immense force, into the Eurasian continent about 40 million years ago, buckling the ancient seafloor upward to form the Himalaya and many lesser ranges that stretch 2500 km from Afghanistan to Myanmar (Burma).

When the Himalaya reached its great heights during the Pleistocene  (less than 150,000 years ago), it blocked and altered weather systems creating the monsoon climate that dominates India today, as well as forming a dry rain shadow to the north.

Although it looks like a continuous range on a map, the Himalaya is actually a series of interlocking ridges, separated by countless valleys.  Until technology enabled the building or roads through the Himalaya, many of these valleys were virtually isolated, creating a divers series of mountain cultures.

Some facts about Himalayas:

•  The Himalayas have the third largest deposit of ice and snow in the world, after Antarctica and the Arctic.

•  Most of the other Himalayan rivers dissolve into the Ganges-Brahmaputra Basin. Its main rivers are the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Yamuna, as well as other tributaries. The Ganges and the Brahmaputra rivers meet in Bangladesh, and drain into the Bay of Bengal through the world's largest river delta, the Sunderbans (famous for Bengal Tigers)

•  Mount Everest, located in Himalayas, is the highest mountain of the world & 5th furthest summit from the center of Earth.

Himalaya Impact: 

•  The Himalayas have a profound effect on the climate of the Indian subcontinent. It creates the Monsoon climate in India which largely affects socio economic activities. 

•  The mighty Himalayas also prevent frigid, dry winds from blowing south into the subcontinent, which keeps South Asia much warmer than corresponding temperate regions in the other continents.

Spiritual connection of Mighty Himalayas 

•  Several places in the Himalayas are of religious significance in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism.

•  The mountains of Himalayas have always attracted people since ages to meditate to find the inner self.

•  Himalayas region is also is the origin of sacred river Ganges which is highly pious for Hindus. Around Ganges, number Hindus Pilgrimage sites are located like Haridwar, Varanasi, Allahabad etc.

Tiger Nest Temple

Source: Google Images

Amarnath Temple

Source: Google Images

Kedarnath Temple

Source: Google Images

Hemkund Sahhib Gurudwara

Source: Google Images

Please let me know if you like this post. This was 4th installment in Facts of India Series.

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I have been tagged by one of my best blogger friend, Shweta Dave to take part in Five photos Five stories Challenge (FPFS) which is- Post a picture for 5 consecutive days and attach a post to it , fiction, poem or short write-up or anything to suit your taste. I thank Shweta for this challenge. I accept it.

I am tagging one of my most respected blogger friend Sreedhar Sir on Day Four and as a part of the challenge, I will tag a new person on Day Five which will be the last installment of this challenge series.

India Facts (3): Eating in Indian Style (FPFS Challenge)

Source: Google Images

In India, you will find most people eat with their right hand as compared to people in west who mostly use fork & knife.  In the southern part of India, many people use as much of hand as is necessary, while elsewhere they use the tips of the fingers. The left hand is reserved for unsanitary actions such as removing shoes.  Whether eating Chapati’s (flat bread) or rice, people generally use their hands to cut the pieces or mixing the stuff. While in urban & metro cities, way of eating is different as people generally use cutlery while eating, however many people of conventional thinking (& those in rural areas) prefer to have it in their own ways of eating with their hands instead using spoon.

Here is the way to eat in Indian style: Mix with food with your fingers. If you having dhal and sabzi (vegetables), only mix the daal into your rice and have the sabzi in small scoops with each mouthful.  If you are having fish or meat curry, mix the gravy into your rice and take the flesh off the bones from the side of your plate.  Scoop up lumps of the mix and with your knuckles facing the dish, your thumb to shovel the food into your mouth.

Have you also tried this way of eating? Don’t be shy, please share your experience J

Hope you liked it. This was 3rd installment in Facts of India Series.

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I have been tagged by one of my best blogger friend, Shweta Dave to take part in Five photos Five stories Challenge (FPFS) which is- Post a picture for 5 consecutive days and attach a post to it , fiction, poem or short write-up or anything to suit your taste. I thank Shweta for this challenge. I accept it.

I am tagging my dear blogger friend Abhijit Bangal on Day Three and as a part of the challenge, I will tag a new person on Day Four.

India Facts (2): Kumbh Mela (FPFS Challenge)

Source - Google Images

Are you fond of attending the gala event with millions of people? - if yes, then this one is for you. It's Big, Very Big. 

Held four times every 12 years at four different locations across central and northern India, the kumbh Mela is the largest religious gathering on the planet in which millions of Hindus gather to bathe in a sacred river. Held four times every 12 years at four different locations across central and northern India this vast celebration attracts  tens of millions of Hindu pilgrims, including mendicant nagas (naked sadhus, or holy people) from radical Hindu monastic orders.  

As per historical facts, Durvasa Rishi (who is known for his short temper) was wandering on earth, when he came across a female Vidyadhari (a nymph of the air) who was wearing a beautiful garland of flowers. Seeing Durvasa being attracted to the garland the nymph respectfully gave it to the sage. When he came back from earth, the sage came across Indra who was riding his elephant, Airavata. Durvasa presented the garland to Indra, who not sure of what to do with the garland placed it on Airavata’s head. The elephant was irritated by the fragrance of the nectar in the flowers and threw the garland to the ground with its trunk and crushed it with his feet. Durvasa was enraged to see his gift treated so callously and immediately cursed Indra that he would be cast down from his position of dominion over the three worlds, just as the garland was cast down. Because of the curse, Indra and the Devas were diminished in strength. 

To regain their lost powers and strengths, all Devtas approached Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva who directed them to Lord Vishnu. After they prayed & requested Lord Vishnu about the event, he instructed them to churn the ocean of milk Ksheera Sagara (primordial ocean of milk) to receive amrita (the nectar of immortality). This required them to make a temporary agreement with their arch enemies, the Asuras, to work together with a promise of sharing the wealth equally thereafter. However, when the Kumbha (pitcher) containing the amrita appeared, a fight took place. For 12 days and 12 nights (equivalent to twelve human years) the Devas and Asuras fought in the sky for the pitcher of amrita. It is believed that during the battle, Lord Vishnu (incarnated as Mohini-Mürti) got hold of the pitcher and spirited it away, but in flight four drops spilt on the earth – at Allahabad, Haridwar, Nasik and Ujjain.

Celebrations at each of these cities last for around six weeks but are centred on just a handful of auspicious bathing dates, normally six.  The Allahabad event, known as the Maha (great) Kumbh Mela, is even lagrer with even bigger crowds.  Each location also holds an Ardh (Half) Mela every six years and a smaller, annual Magh Mela. The Kumbh Mela doesn’t belong to any particular cast or creed – devotees from all branches of Hinduism come together to experience the electrifying sensation of mass belief and to take a ceremonial dip in the sacred Ganges, Shipra or Godavari Rivers. Even foreigners can also be seen taking a dip in holy water during Kumbh.

Source : Google Images

Source : Google Images

Hope you like this fact about India.

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I have been tagged by one of my best blogger friend, Shweta Dave to take part in Five photos Five stories Challenge (FPFS) which is- Post a picture for 5 consecutive days and attach a post to it , fiction, poem or short write-up or anything to suit your taste. I thank Shweta for this challenge. I accept it.

I am tagging my dear blogger friend Debajyoti Ghosh on my Day Two and as a part of the challenge, I will tag a new person on Day Three.

India Facts (1): Food & Spirituality (FPFS Challenge)

Food & Spirituality

From last few days I was thinking of writing something in a series. With series, you always have fair sense of idea on which lines you want your content to be focused on.  There were number of ideas on different themes, but I decided to go with something which will attract all my audience as compared to specific set of audience with certain interest. So this series is about India: Land of Manu, Ayurveda, Yoga, HImalaya. With each of this post, I will present one fact about India which is quite common but reminds us about the social & cosmopolitan culture of India. I hope my audience will like it.

In the first installment of this series, I will talk about Food & Spirituality. In India, we always believe what we eat is what we think and how we are spiritually connected. India has variety of foods and each state has their own cuisines and tastes, however there are certain beliefs which affect the eating habit of different people. For people in India, food is considered not only for sustaining the body but also to invoke positive energy, high spirits & being devoid from negative thoughts. People following different religions tend to consume/avoid certain foods. 

Broadly speaking, Hindus traditionally avoid foods that are thought to inhibit physical and spiritual development, although there are some certain rules.  Cow is holy to Hindus and people worship cow. In rural areas, having cow in home is considered to be sign of prosperity. In number of Hindu families, first bread that is being made in the day is assigned for the holy cow. Such is the place of cow in Hindu system. The taboo on eating beef is the most rigid restriction.  Very recently, The Indian president has approved a bill which bans the slaughter of cows and the sale and consumption of beef in the western state of Maharashtra.

Jains avoid foods such as garlic and onions, which, apart from harming insects in their extraction from the ground, are thought to heat the blood and arouse sexual desire.  You may come across vegetarian restaurants that make it a point to advertise the absence of onion and garlic in their dishes for this reason.  Devout Hindus may also avoid garlic and onions on certain occasions.  If you go to any ashrams or neuropathology centers, many of them don’t serve onions in their meals.

Some foods, such as dairy products, are considered innately pure are eaten to cleanse the body, mind and spirit.  Ayurveda, the ancient Indian science of life, health and longevity, also influences food customs in India. Those following strict Satvik diet which exclude ingredients like garlic and onions that produce heat in the body are avoided to allow your body to detox.

Pork is taboo for Muslims and stimulants such as alcohol are avoided by the most devout.  Halal is the term for all permitted foods, and haram for those prohibited.  Fasting is considered (which is a religious obligation for Muslims) an opportunity to earn the merit, to wipe the sin-slate clean and to maintain the body metabolism.

Buddhists and Jains subscribe to the philosophy of ahimsa (nonviolence) and are mostly vegetarian.  Jainism’s central tenet is ultra vegetarianism, and rigid restrictions are in place to avoid even potential injury to any living creature – Jains abstain from eating vegetables that grow underground because of the potential to harm insects during cultivation and harvesting.

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I have been tagged by one of my best blogger friend, Shweta Dave to take part in Five photos Five stories Challenge (FPFS) which is- Post a picture for 5 consecutive days and attach a post to it , fiction, poem or short write-up or anything to suit your taste. I thank Shweta for this challenge. I accept it.

I am tagging my dear blogger friend Ami on my Day One and as a part of the challenge, I will tag a new person on Day Two.

Talking Tours (5) - Imliakum (Akum)

Here is the 5th edition of "Talking Tours". This time, I met Imliakum Kichu (popularly known as 'Akum') who hails from beautiful northeast region of India (Nagaland). Akum is a passionate writer, a travel enthusiast, hardcore metal fan and play drums for a Metal Band during weekends. During Interview, he was spontaneous & very friendly.  I enjoyed having this little discussion with him. Hope you like it too.

Talking Tour is a series of personal interviews about those who does posses thoughts of their own. It's good to know thoughts of different people - what they think on various topics, what keeps them ticking. May be there is a learning for us somewhere in these thoughts. Each one of us, has some attributes which are unique some times and common most often.

Let's start this interview......to know about Akum.

Tell our readers something about yourself.
Am a travel enthusiast, a music lover and a Royal Enfield fan, though I get to travel once every two months (blame it to my job) and pursue my other two passion during the weekends. Plus, am also the occasional day dream.

What is in your personality which you like the most?

I guess, am very friendly.

What is in your personality which you dislike?

In one word ‘Laziness’

What are the qualities in a man which you like?
Open minded, respect for women and someone who stick to his words.

What are the qualities in a woman which you like?

Someone who can speak what she feels, pursue her dreams and stand up for her rights no matter what all the stuck up close minded people says.

What places you have traveled so far? What is your favorite place & why?

I have been to lot of places...... and it’s very difficult to pick just one destination. But if I really have to pick one, it would be Hampi in Karnataka. The mysticism of all the ancient ruins and the laid back ambiance of the entire area make it quite unique from all the places I have been.

Which place you have traveled recently and how was the experience?

I took an awesome bike tour of North East India and it was an experience of a lifetime. You can check out about my tour here www.travelawait.com


Can you share some photographs of your recent bike tour?
Here are these:

Can you name some of your favorite hangout places in the city you live in?

Some of my favorite hangout spots in Delhi would be Paharganj (because of the inexpensive bars), Hauz Khaz Village, India Coffee House in CP and Majnu ka tilla (awesome food).

Are you a foody? Which food you like the most?

I think I can safely say am a big foodie. Some of my favorite dishes are:

• Well Done Steaks with brown Sauce in Sam’s Café (Paharganj)

• Barbequed Pork Rib in Nagaland Stall in Delhi Haat

• Mutton Rara in Karim’s (Any Location)

• Juicy Lucy Burger in Delhi Heights (Gurgaon)

Tell us something about your hobbies?

I love to travel but unfortunately I can’t pursue that hobby as often, blame it to my 10 to 6 job. Besides traveling, am a hardcore fan of Metal Music. I play drums for a Delhi based metal fans and I try my best to squeeze out atleast 8 hours of jam sessions with the band every weekend, plus play live as often as we can. Seriously, I can’t imagine my life without my music.

If not in your current role, what would you want to be?

Well with all fairness, one day I would love to be a zillionaire and own a small 10 bed room villa located in a private island somewhere in the Bahamas, a garage with some American muscle cars and a small beer brewery next door to quench my thirst. But jokes apart, One day I would love to be a travel writer. Earn a decent living by traveling and writing about it. Am trying everything I can right now to achieve that. Let’s see what fate has in store for me.

How you cope up pressure situation?

Normally I don’t let my work pressures take up my time, because am a firm believer in ‘It’s Just a Job, not the end of the world’, besides, every time a hurdle shows up, I try to face it with my head held high and tackle it. I never want to be among those who worry about life’s problem or scared to face life’s challenges.

What is your mantra of life?

Live and Let Live

How you start your day?

I start my day with a visit to the loo (haha!!), followed by a cup of tea with some nice music in the background.

Who is your reel life hero/heroines?

I am a big fan of Lemmy Kilmister, the front man of the Rock/metal band ‘MotorHead’.. His approach toward life has always been an inspiration for me.

Which character in history (or current life) inspire you the most?
I have always been inspired by Martin Luther King Jr,  his work and how he dedicated his life to fight for a race that was oppressed to the very core. Even in India we need someone like him to stand for all the minorities and their rights.

Your favorite movies/shows?

Well, this is a very tough question. Scar Face, Ragging Bull, Sholay, Taxi Driver. Defiance and the Longest Day are some movies I can watch anytime. I am also a big fan of Modern Family, Big Bang Theory, Sons of Anarchy and Breaking Bad.

What do you think are the biggest areas for improvement in our country?

Economy wise we are improving, we are getting more politically aware, technology we are a very advance country but when it comes to our social life, we are very backward. Especially how women are treated and the general outlook towards how a women should be, what she should do and don’t. To me, this is the biggest area of improvement in our beautiful, diverse country. 

Do you cast your vote every time?

I do cast my vote, two years back, I traveled almost 2500 kilometers to cast my vote.

Anything which you want to share with readers who read this interview?

If this is the only life that we get, then why are we not doing everything that we wanna do.!

Thank you Akum for sparing time for this interview. We wish all the best in your life.

Concept of Langar in Sikh Gurudwaras

Last week, I got the opportunity to pay the visit to one of the most famous Sikh Temple in Delhi NCR - Gurudwara Bangla Sahib. Number of people have asked me about the concept of Langar (food for everyone) & during my visit to Gurudwara, I decided to cover it in my blog post. Here you go:

Sikh Langar is based on Sikh religious principals of Seva (Voluntary service of community) and ‘wand ke chakhna’ (share one’s food around).  The principal dictums of Sikh living are “to earn one’s living by honest labour.  Remember Almighty Lord or Supreme Being – Akal Purakh all the time and “Share with others what you can afford to give”. Thus for Sikhs to serve in Langar for cooking, cleaning, distributing or donating are fulfillment of their religious obligation.

Sikh believes in existence of “One Supreme being” for the whole universe and also that all humans are children of same one supreme being which is formless, not subject to life and death, Omnipresent.  Thus service all humans without any inhibition on account of cast, color, financial status is compliance of Sikh religious code. 

Here are some of the pictures of langar hall from Delhi's Gurudwara Bangla Sahib (famous Sikh Temple)..

Outside Langar Hall - Waiting for their turn (Inside the hall, another round of langar is going on). People come in large group, they eat and then another set of people arrive for Langar. And this cycle goes on every half an hour 365 days in the year (people come and eat food without any cost). Amazing. For me, this is Truly some Blessings of Guru!

Inside Langar Hall - waiting for food to be served while some people are chanting prayers

God's food with HIGHER Taste!

People volunteer themselves to perform Seva (Voluntary service of community). In this image, volunteers serving devotees the Amrit or medicinal water of the kund (water pool).

Some other images from the Gurudwara:

People gathered outside in standstill to pay respect to the Guru (God) as prayers are going on inside Gurudwara

Camera quality isn't that great because I wasn't carrying my device, but will make up in next post. Hope you like this post on Sikh Langar.

Will continue on this post someday soon.....