Less than a month ago, they ensured that home-cooked food reached thousands everyday on the dot across this bustling megapolis. Yet, today the iconic dabbawalas of Mumbai are staring at starvation as the 21-day nationwide lockdown has left them without a livelihood.
On March 19, the dabbawalas, who have been an integral part of the city’s history for more than a century, had announced that they would be suspending services in light of the coronavirus crisis. Less than a week later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the complete lockdown.
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With almost all workplaces switching to work-from-home, there is now no demand for their services.
“We are facing an unprecedented situation for the first time in the 130 years that we have been operational. If we have no customers, we have no earnings. Our stomachs depend on the stomachs of our customers,” said Ulhas Muke, president of the Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Trust.
Depending on how far a tiffin box had to be delivered, a dabbawala could earn between ₹13,000 to ₹15,000 a month.
“This amount, along with wha