A new skill

Mumbais dabbawallas,known for their precision, are now trying their hand at computers...

One look at the thousands of steel dabbas and Raghunath Megde can tell you where each one will go and at what precise time. But ask Megde to undertake the relatively easier task of keying in his name on the computer and hes likely to scowl at you. But today,Medge smiles broadly and says he is getting there. Megde,president of Mumbai Dabbawala Association,is one of the 25 members of the association who have recently joined a six-month course in English and computers.

Most of the dabbawalas came into the profession with little or no education. They have their own problems. When the delivery address is given to them in English,they have difficulty finding it, says Krishna Kumar,vice chancellor of Yashwantrao Chavan Open University,which is offering the course free of cost to the dabbawalas.

The class began on September 5 and Medge is confident that after six months,he will be able to speak a smattering of English. Even for a system that is known for its clockwork precision,Megde says basic sentenceslike,Sorry,I am late today or I wont be able to come tomorrowwill help the dabbawalas build a rapport with their customers.

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The bunch of 25 students includes the nine directors of the Mumbai Dabbawala Association,the president and also the secretary. I have promised myself that the day I finish this course,I will give a presentation in English to my classmates, says 65-year-old Gangaram Tilekar,secretary,who now knows how to write his name,address and cellphone number in English.

It was Pawan Agarwal,CEO of Mumbai Dabbawala Association,who came up with the idea. Since Mumbai local trains are an inseparable part of their job profile,we have designed their computers in such a way that they look like train compartments, says Agarwal. The classes are held at Vikhroli,a Mumbai suburb,on two days of the week. And on the weekends,they are held for four hours.

There are around 5,000 dabbawalas working for the association. We plan to open more centres in other parts of the city so that more dabbawalas can join the course, says Agarwal.

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