Passion, hard work, consistency, commitment, and accuracy are some of the prerequisites required to be successful in life. It is the same success mantra that the Mumbai Dabbawalas have been following since 1890, president of Mumbai Dabbawala Education Centre Pawan G. Agarwal has said.
Addressing students of Sri Prakash Vidyaniketan at an interaction programme held here at Four Points By Sheraton Hotel on Saturday, Dr. Agarwal said: “Meeting the deadline and delivering home cooked food to more than 2,00,000 people on time with an error percentage that is as minimum as one in 16 million transactions is no easy task. With the 5,000-odd workforce of Dabbawalas being semi-literate, they strive to meet the deadline and have been delighting their customers, tiding over all odds for the past 123 years.”
Narrating the journey of the foundation since its inception, Dr. Agarwal gave a PowerPoint presentation on how the tireless workforce of the organisation has raised to 5,000-odd team from a single digit. “The dabbawalas sweat it out for nine hours a day, travelling close to 160 km across Mumbai. With no modern technology followed to meet the deadline, the efficient army is prompt in delivering the ‘dabbas’ to the respective destinations without any delay,” he explained.
Three stepsHe later explained how the concept of providing quality food to the middle-income groups needs planning, clear-cut strategy and execution. “These three elements apply to any domain. For instance, all students cannot excel in studies. However, everyone is blessed with a unique skill which has to be identified and nurtured with appropriate planning. With right attitude, approach and discipline, I am sure the younger generation can scale greater heights,” Dr. Agarwal said.
In the end, students interacted with Dr. Agarwal and requested him to initiate the Dabbawala concept across the world. Director of the school Ch. Vasu Prakash, a few parents and the school staff attended the programme.
