Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, on Wednesday, met the 'world-famous' Dabbawalas in Mumbai and discussed the problems faced by them. The Dabbawalas welcomed the queen outside the Dabbawala Association near Andheri Railway station and gifted her a set of tiffin box as a token of respect.
Dabbawala Association member, Sandeep Jadhav spoke to the queen about Dabbawalas going digital. Speaking about the daily monetary transactions, Jadhav informed the queen that they collect money from the customers on digital platforms too - like Paytm and it helps them save money as well.
Jadhav said, “The world is opting for digital transactions and we are also trying to collect money from the customers via digital platforms like Paytm.” He further informed that after using the digital platform to collect money, they are able to save, which was rarely the case earlier.
The queen also said that she will try and talk to the government officials to arrange smartphones for the family members of the Dabbawalas which would help them share payments.
Speaking about the visit of the queen, Dabbawala Association spokesperson Subhash Talekar informed Mumbai Live that “People call us illiterate but we feel proud as Indians that people from outside recognise our work and greet us for the same.”
“We have been visited by Prince Harry, Prince Charles, and Richard Branson, and our working mechanism is taught in the universities outside India,” said Talekar, adding, “We supply almost two lakh Dabbas in the city with the strength of 5,000 Dabbawalas.”
In the past, many famous personalities from abroad have come and met the Mumbai’s Dabbawalas. They have tried to understand Dabbawalas’ genius way of managing and supplying tiffin boxes to Mumbaikars, without misplacing or exchanging the boxes. Their unique way of management of the tiffin boxes has become a case study in many globally recognised universities.
Also Read - Netherlands' Queen Máxima To Meet Mumbai Dabbawallas
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