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Prince Charles Visits Dabbawalas |
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CHARLES-DABBAWALAS
Publication: Asia Africa Intelligence Wire
Publication Date: 04-NOV-03
COPYRIGHT 2003 Financial Times Ltd.
(From Press Trust of India)
When rustic 'dabbawalas' rubbed shoulders with
royalty Mumbai, Nov 4 (PTI) It was a moment to
be freezed on camera as the rustic tiffin
service providers, popularly known as 'dabbawalas'
in this western Indian city, rubbed shoulders
with royalty, when the heir to the British
throne Prince Charles walked into the Western
Railway Headquarters here to interact with them
on Tuesday.
The Prince, dressed in a blue suit, arrived at
the lawn of the heritage building in south
Mumbai, accompanied by a team of security
personnel and a translator in tow.
The dabbawalas, all donning their trademark
white 'pyjama-kurta' and Gandhi cap, neatly
lined up in rows outside Churchgate station and
welcomed the Prince with the traditional 'namaste',
which was immediately reciprocated by Charles.
The city's famous 'dabbawalas' had their five
minutes of fame as they explained their well
worked colour coding system and the entire
process involved in ensuring that the tiffins
reached the right persons at the right place and
right time.
The Prince of Wales was presented with a jasmine
and rose garland, a brown and red bordered shawl
and a silver plaque carrying the name of the
tiffin providers' association.
But when the Prince was urged to don a Gandhi
cap, presented by one of the dabbawalas, he
politely but firmly refrained from acceding to
the request, dissapointing many of the media
personnel, waiting to capture the moment.
However, those who were not disappointed were
the scores of people outside Churchgate station,
who screamed out to the Prince and waved at him;
urging him to shake hands with them, which the
Prince agreed to. (THROUGH ASIA PULSE) |
Britain's Prince
Charles hails India ties, lauds youth enterprise
support.
(From BBC Monitoring International Reports)
Mumbai [Bombay], 4 November: British Crown
Prince Charles on Tuesday [4 November] had a
glimpse of the myriad faces of bustling Mumbai
as he dabbled in business, Bollywood, heritage,
information technology and had a first hand view
of the human face of the island city through the
metropolis' famous tiffin service providers
popularly known as dabbawallas.
Charles, who is on a three-day visit to the
city, had a hectic schedule as he rubbed
shoulders with a cross-section of people ranging
from the rustic dabbawallas to IT wizards, suave
captains of industry and leading celebrities
from the world of glamour - all with equal elan
and royal grace.
Despite a busy itinerary, the prince took time
to pay visit to the over a century old Victoria
Terminus, a prominent landmark of the commerical
capital of the country.
The prince, who went around the heritage
building had a glimpse of the octagonal dome,
the grand staircase and the Star Chamber, the
present suburban booking office.
He lauded the railways for transporting an
incredible number of passengers day in day out.
The prince, who was taken around the suburban
concourse, was also presented the official tie
and scarf of Central Railways, a time-table, and
a book of railway stamps. [passage omitted]
The prince also had a feel of the life on Mumbai
roads as he stepped out of the royal car and met
dabbawalas, the tiffin service providers, and
gathered information on their indigeneous
management system.
Dressed in a blue suit and sporting a red paper
poppy, the royal visitor lauded the dabbawalas
for their efficient delivery system.
He also received a shawl, a Gandhi cap and a
small silver plaque from the city's over
100-year-old organization.
Prince Charles exhorted the Indian business
community to take up issues of social
responsibility along with "enterprise
development" for youth.
"It was important for business groups to take up
social responsibilities such as education and
providing clean water, however, enabling
sustainable livelihood for everybody is one of
the pressing challenges before the country," he
said at a business reception here.
On the Indo-British relationship, he said it was
valued by both the countries and was flourishing
on all fronts, including education, trade and
defence.
On the Information Technology front, the Prince
of Wales opined that IT would enhance
relationship between India and UK even as he
expressed interest in furthering ties with
India's National Association of Software and
Services Companies (Nasscom).
On his visit to India after 11 years, the Crown
Prince said: "I have seen many facets of life
and today got a chance to see the cosmopolitan
life of Mumbai".
Source: PTI news agency, New Delhi, in English
1516 gmt 4 Nov 03 |
| � |
Dabbawalas to
send a gift for Prince Charles.
(From The Times of India)
Byline: Nitasha Natu
MUMBAI: They had struck a chord with the Prince
of Wales when he came visiting two years ago.
Now, as Prince Charles readies to take wedding
vows with his long-time lover Camilla Parker,
the ubiquitous dabbawalas of Mumbai only want to
send him their good wishes. A group of more than
500 dabbawalas from the city have decided to
gift a nine-yard saree to the princess-consort
and a Maharashtrian turban to the Prince on the
threshold of their wedding.
"The gift is a mark of respect for the prince
who took time off his busy schedule just to meet
us and enquire about our business," said
Raghunath Medge, president of Nutan Mumbai
Tiffin Box Suppliers Association. "We hit upon
the idea after we heard about his wedding
through the media. He had given us so much
importance during his visit even when there were
several others vying for his time and
attention."
On Monday, about 50 dabbawalas from different
associations in the city, shopped for a
nine-yard Kolhapuri saree from Lateri centre at
Andheri-east. "We are thinking of sending across
green glass bangles, which are considered
auspicious for married women, if our budget
permits," Medge said. The gifts will be sent
across by courier.
The contributions range from a modest Rs 10-Rs
20 per person, peaking the budget at a little
over Rs 5,000. "It is not compulsary for
everyone to contribute but we will collect as
much funds as possible. The courier itself will
cost us more than Rs 1,000," says Medge.
The Dabbawalas had their five-minutes of fame
when the Prince visited them in November 2003,
while touring Mumbai, and admired the clockwork
precision with which they deliver tiffin boxes.
The dabbawalas had explained their colour coding
system and the entire process involved in
ensuring that the tiffins reached the right
persons at the right place and right time. The
Prince was presented with a jasmine and rose
garland, a brown and red bordered shawl and a
silver plaque carrying the name of the tiffin
providers' association.
Ask them if they would like to make a trip to
England for the wedding and the dabbawalas shy
away. "We certainly can't afford to do that. The
gift represents our afection and good wishes for
the prince and his bride," a dabbawala said.
� |
Dabbawalas ship off
Prince's wedding gifts
13 Mar 2005, 2340
hrs IST,TNN
MUMBAI: It was the first time that she was
facing a television camera, but 53-year-old
Ahilyabai Pingle showed no signs nervousness.
Even as her husband, a dabbawala with the Nutan
Tiffin Box Suppliers Association, smiled shyly,
Ahilyabai went on to explain the significance of
gifting a traditional Maharashtrian wedding
outfit to Prince Charles and his wife-to-be
heavily accented Hindi.
On Sunday afternoon, the dabbawalas finally
couriered their gifts to the Prince for his
wedding scheduled in April, but only after
performing a puja followed by some naachgaana at
the Sanyas Ashram temple in Vile Parle.
"We weren't sure about what should be purchased
for the Prince's wedding," said Raghunath Medge,
president of the association, "What can you gift
someone who has everything?" It was then that
Ahilyabai and her sisters pitched in and
suggested that a Maharashtrian bridal outfit
would be the perfect gift. A green Nauvari silk
sari for the bride and a Puneri pheta for the
groom were agreed upon since these are
considered auspicious.
The dabbawalas were then given a list of dos and
don'ts for selecting the sari. "We couldn't
accompany our husbands for selecting the gifts
since we had to stay back and look after our
homes and children, but we made sure that they
chose the right sari," said Ahilyabai. The pheta
was ordered especially from Budhwar Peth in Pune.
A pair of comfortable Kolhapuri chappals
completed the package.
The gifts were systematically arranged in a
pandal outside the Sanyas Ashram temple where
head priest Swami Kapil Puri conducted a puja
before they could be ferried away.
"Number 13 may be considered unlucky in the
West, but today (Sunday) happens to be the most
auspicious day for sending across the gifts
according to the Hindu panchang," the swami
said. The puja was followed by a traditional
lezim performance by the dabbawalas themselves
to the tune of Marathi folk songs. The packages
were then loaded onto a van provided by a
courier company. They will be flown to England
all expenses paid.
Asked if any of the dabbawalas would personally
make it to the wedding, Medge confessed that
three of them had already procured passports.
"The Sanyas Ashram trust has temples in England
and they provide lodging and boarding facilities
for Indian travellers. We could actually stay at
the temple and have our meals there, before
proceeding to the wedding," he grinned.
All that the dabbawalas now need is an
invitation to the Prince's wedding. Is
Buckingham Palace listening?
� |
Charles' big, fat wedding
turban
23 Feb
2005, 0226 hrs IST,TNN
PUNE: Even as a debate rages in the UK over the
forthcoming wedding of Prince Charles and his
long-time friend Camilla Parker-Bowles, distant
Maharashtra has not only come to terms with the
alliance but has also prepared the aher (wedding
gift) for the couple.
The famous dabbawalas of Mumbai, who were bowled
over by Charles' charm during his recent visit
to the metropolis, have decided to present a
pheta (ceremonial turban) to Charles and a sari
to his bride.
While deciding on a suitable sari was no
problem, they did not know how they would be
able to manage a pheta , since there would be no
expert to tie it on the royal head. Pune's
famous flag and pheta makers, Murudkar Zendewale,
have solved this problem.
Speaking to TNN on Tuesday, Girish Murudkar,
owner of the shop, said that it was actually his
sister, now settled in Mumbai, who thought about
asking her brothers to make the pheta . She
contacted the, head of the dabbawalas
organisation, who was overjoyed and accepted the
offer.
"We have prepared a ready-to-wear traditional
saffron pheta adorned with zari work and
Australian diamonds for Charles. The work is
finished and the pheta will be sent to Mumbai on
Wednesday for its onward journey to the UK,"
Girish said.
It is definitely going to be a pheta that will
befit the royal occasion. "We have vast
experience of making phetas for royal Indian
families," Girish pointed out. The Murudkars
have vast experience in catering to the whims
and tastes of royal and VVIP heads.
From President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to Bollywood
stars, all have worn a Murudkar pheta . In fact
during election time, the Murudkars have to keep
a special team ready to hop from one election
rally to another to tie the phetas around senior
politicians' heads. |
Dabbawalas to send a
gift for Prince Charles
15 Feb 2005,
1322 hrs IST, Nitasha Natu,TNN
MUMBAI: They had struck a chord with the Prince
of Wales when he came visiting two years ago.
Now, as Prince Charles readies to take wedding
vows with his long-time lover Camilla Parker,
the ubiquitous dabbawalas of Mumbai only want to
send him their good wishes. A group of more than
500 dabbawalas from the city have decided to
gift a nine-yard saree to the princess-consort
and a Maharashtrian turban to the Prince on the
threshold of their wedding.
"The gift is a mark of respect for the prince
who took time off his busy schedule just to meet
us and enquire about our business," said
Raghunath Medge, president of Nutan Mumbai
Tiffin Box Suppliers Association. "We hit upon
the idea after we heard about his wedding
through the media. He had given us so much
importance during his visit even when there were
several others vying for his time and
attention."
On Monday, about 50 dabbawalas from different
associations in the city, shopped for a
nine-yard Kolhapuri saree from Lateri centre at
Andheri-east. "We are thinking of sending across
green glass bangles, which are considered
auspicious for married women, if our budget
permits," Medge said. The gifts will be sent
across by courier.
The contributions range from a modest Rs 10-Rs
20 per person, peaking the budget at a little
over Rs 5,000. "It is not compulsary for
everyone to contribute but we will collect as
much funds as possible. The courier itself will
cost us more than Rs 1,000," says Medge.
The Dabbawalas had their five-minutes of fame
when the Prince visited them in November 2003,
while touring Mumbai, and admired the clockwork
precision with which they deliver tiffin boxes.
The dabbawalas had explained their colour coding
system and the entire process involved in
ensuring that the tiffins reached the right
persons at the right place and right time. The
Prince was presented with a jasmine and rose
garland, a brown and red bordered shawl and a
silver plaque carrying the name of the tiffin
providers' association.
Ask them if they would like to make a trip to
England for the wedding and the dabbawalas shy
away. "We certainly can't afford to do that. The
gift represents our afection and good wishes for
the prince and his bride," a dabbawala said.
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