Live the life of a dabbawala, or tiffin courier, whose important job is to deliver hot lunches to Mumbai’s busy workforce and mothers at home. Every morning, the dabbawalas go from door to door in spotless white uniforms and Ghandi caps, picking up some 200,000 lunchboxes. They transport the freshly-cooked meals on trains and bicycles to their hungry customers and then escort the same empty containers back from where they came.
It’s a service that’s been going for 130 years and involves an enormous amount of diligence. Dabbawalas pride themselves on faultless service – it’s claimed that for every six million tiffin boxes, only one fails to deliver.
You will meet the president of the Dabbawala Association who’ll talk you over the genius of the process. This is your chance to get stuck in. Roll up your sleeves and dish out the dabbas during the thrum of Mumbai’s busy local trains.
Additional notes about the tour
We recommend doing this experience in the morning.