Lockdown: Dabbawalas struggle to make ends meet, association comes to the rescue

The Mumbai Dabbawala Association, an umbrella body of dabbawalas, has started providing food-kits to members of the community over the last few days. So far, nearly 200 dabbawalas have got basic food supplies like food grains, pulses and cooking oil.

As thousands of dabbawalas working in the city are out of work owing to the lockdown, their association has now come forward to provide essentials to them.

The Mumbai Dabbawala Association, an umbrella body of dabbawalas, has started providing food-kits to members of the community over the last few days.

The Mumbai Dabbawala Association, an umbrella body of dabbawalas, has started providing food-kits to members of the community over the last few days. So far, nearly 200 dabbawalas have got basic food supplies like food grains, pulses and cooking oil. “The community is in dire need of help at the minute. We feed lakhs of people every day but delivering tiffins, but owing to the current situation, our own families are struggling to make ends meet. Many of our members were not able to collect their payments for the month of March. The association has thus decided to help them in all possible ways,” said the president of the association, Subhash Talekar.

Each kit costs the association nearly ₹1,500. It has pooled some money from social workers, local activists and organisations.

The association has asked members to form groups of five and buy food supplies from their nearest grocery shop. “We then transfer the amount to the shop owner directly. This way, there is no handling of cash involved,” Talekar added.