The famous Dabbawala of Mumbai, have are now in the textbooks of Kerela’s class 9 English Syllabus.

Titled 'The Saga of the Tiffin Carriers', the chapter was authored by travel writers Hugh and Colleen Gantzer.

The Kerala State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) introduced this chapter on the inspiring journey of the 'dabbawalas' as part of its updated curriculum for 2024.

The chapter includes the origins of Mumbai’s dabbawala service, dating back to 1890, when the first tiffin carrier, Mahadeo Havaji Bachche, delivered a lunchbox from Dadar to Fort, Mumbai.

"In the year 1890, an old Parsi lady in the suburb of Dadar spoke to Mahadu Iwhaji Bacha. She wanted him to help her to get a tiffin carrier across to her husband who worked in the commercial heart of Bombay, as the city was called then. That was the start of the dabbawalas," the chapter notes.