After the pandemic shut offices and put Mumbai's renowned lunchbox deliverymen out of work, the 130-year-old "dabbawala" network has tied up with a trendy restaurant chain to take on India's billion-dollar start-ups. Instantly recognisable in his traditional Gandhi cap and white Indian attire, Shinde is one of 5,000 dabbawalas – or "lunchbox men" in Hindi – who have gained global recognition for delivering home-cooked food with clockwork precision. "I used to love working as a dabbawala," he told AFP, describing it as "the best job". They are the original deliverymen of Mumbai," he told AFP. "The dabbawalas could become delivery agents for last-mile delivery not just for restaurants but also for any e-commerce business," she told AFP.

Source: The Star July 23, 2021 02:03 UTC