BHUBANESWAR: Eating healthy is a virtue which many try to practise. However, one can hardly prepare good food at home due to busy schedules. To address this issue, Dabbawalas, commercial food distributors, are providing home-made hygienic food at affordable costs in the city.
Orissa POST interacted with a few of these entrepreneurs who are replicating the Mumbai model of food distribution. Kannanbala Das, a Dabba wali residing at Nayapalli, Bhubaneswar said, “I have been running this business for six years. The Unique Selling Practise (USP) of my enterprise is that I prepare food in a hygienic way and always pack the items in steel dabbas. That’s how I came to be known as Dabba wali aunty. Along with my husband Pratap Das, I started this business when he incurred huge losses in mining. I had to avail a loan of Rs 30 lakhs for the inception of this business. The name of my enterprise is Queen’s Kitchen.”
She also said that her cooking skills drew her to this field. She said, “We also provide catering services for marriage and birthday parties. Due to my environmental concerns, I never pack food in polythene bags. We are currently operating in 7 corporate offices, hostels and libraries. We offer various items ranging from vegetable pulao to Queen’s special Machha Mahura.”
Jyotiranjan Sahoo of Happy Eats claims to be the first Dabbawala of the city. He said, “I was the pioneer of this business model. I provide my services at Nayapalli, Patia, Gajapati Nagar, Khandagiri, IRC village, Soubhagya Nagar, BJB nagar, Sahid nagar and Master canteen area.”
He said that he prepares food according to demands of the customers. Sahoo said, “I prepare food both with and, without onion and garlic. Order of any variety of food items is accepted by my food chain. There are a few other dabba walas with a similar business model. However, I have always managed to keep my customer base intact due to utter dedication and a positive work ethic. A meal offered by my food chain consisting of rice, dalma, ambula rai, paneer curry, salad and papad costs Rs 100. The food that we prepare is always served hot. I have never received any complaints regarding my services. I always stick to the timeline demanded by my customers. Bhubaneswar witnesses various trends in food but typical Odia cuisine is what I provide.
Sankari Agarwal, a dabba wali from Lewis road, offers her services at various offices at reasonable prices. She entered the business recently. Her entire family is involved in the business as she insists on not employing any outsider. She said, “I have a knack for making tasty food. We prepare Gujrati, Marwari and Desi food items. We avoid using onion and garlic.”
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WHAT CUSTOMERS SAY
A student Sunidhi Lakra said, “Being a student, I am a regular customer of Queen’s Kitchen. Apart from offering delicious food, they always keep a tab on what one wants to eat which is great.”
Anshuman Chowksi, an architect, said, “Being a professional, I hardly prepare food at my residence. My wife is a bank employee. We order lunch and dinner from Sahoo babu, a Dabba wala. He offers affordable vegetarian food.
Kadmbini Aiyar, a resident of Kharvelnagar said, “Dabbawalas are gaining momentum in cities like Bhubaneswar. It was initially seen in Mumbai. Residents of Bhubaneswar are picking up this culture slowly.”
Chaitali Shome, OP
