The dabbawala story captivates Hubballi audience

The story of the Mumbai dabbawalas who deliver lunch boxes to nearly 2 lakh people every day travelling an average of 60 to 70 kilometres and the accuracy with which they are delivered, and their commitment towards the customers and the lively narration of the same by their President Pawan Agarwal held the audience spellbound at the TiECON-2022 in Hubballi, Karnataka on Saturday.

As dabbawala Pawan Agarwal concluded his narration of the 132-year-old service industry, the audience, comprising mainly entrepreneurs and industrialists, gave him a standing ovation.

Making the presentation in his typical style, Mr. Agarwal explained how the coding of the lunch boxes was done and how along with the delivery of the boxes, they were also contributing to the social causes like feeding the orphans.

Mr. Agarwal also narrated stories of how dabbawalas also acted as messengers to save marriages. He also explained how they had diversified during COVID-19 pandemic. “It is the commitment to their service and treating their customer as god that has helped them survive and prosper all these years,” he said.

Television host, activist, and acid-attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal speaks during the The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) convention in Hubballi on Saturday
| Photo Credit: PTI

Earlier in the women’s conclave, Yeshoda and Rhea Karuturi, CEO and CTO of Hoovu, a start-up which delivers flowers for various traditional rituals, narrated their story of success and how they faced challenges during the initial days.

From the days, when 40% of the flowers were getting wasted to a successful service industry which gets 1.5 lakh orders daily, the sisters narrated their successful journey in the field of entrepreneurship. Convener Pallavi Malani coordinated the event.