DABBAWALAS OF KALIMPONG
Sandip C. Jain
They may not have been invited to the royal wedding in London nor is their work treated as a case study like that of the now world famous Dabbawalas of Mumbai but one thing is certain – the anticipation and excitement with which school kids in Kalimpong these days await lunch served by our local dabbawalas, is probably fit for another case study. Midday meals in school are fun again with school children now getting a variety of food all though the week courtesy“the dabbawalas of Kalimpong “. Actually they are not exactly like the dabbawalas of Mumbai but rather caterers who cook and serve mid day meals to school students in the various schools of Kalimpong.
Two such caterers are “Aahar” and “Tiffin King”, both of which provide lunch service to school children of Kalimpong. Aahar was started in 2004 and Tiffin King started service this year.
The school students are treated each day to a variety of delicious like Veg & Non Veg Biryanies, Pizzas, Hamburgers, Chicken & Veg Rolls, Stuffed Parathas, Noodles, Fruits and Juice. Both Tiffin King and Aahar provide service in almost all school of Kalimpong on a monthly payment basis. Says Dhendup Bhutia a partner in “Tiffin King”, “We started off with seven students carrying the food in a motor bike. Now we have more than 300 member students and we ferry the food in several cars each going to a different school.”
“The best part is that both Aahar & Tiffin King offer their service at a very nominal rate”, says a school teacher who avails of the service provided by Aahar. Both the caterers change about Rs.300/- to Rs.350/- which means just about Rs.15/- to Rs.17/- per day, which for a full meal is nominal by any standards. Says Mrs. Meera Rai, the mother of a student availing this service, “I am a teacher myself and have to leave home at almost the same time as my two school going children. I had to previously really hurry early in the mornings, getting my children ready, cleaning up the house, getting ready myself and then cooking lunch for all of us. Now my schedule in the morning is much more relaxed than previously as lunch now is taken care of by Aahar.”
“Every my children are happy and no longer crib about lunch” she adds.