Gangaram Talekar, also known as the Management Guru, worked as the general secretary of the Mumbai Dabbawala Association(MDA) for over 50 years. Yet as he moved around the city delivering the legendary dabbas, the chasm he saw open up between the haves and the have nots became impossible to bear as he noticed the hungry residents of Mumbai. Until his death in 2014, it was a commonly known fact that he had often wished he could do something to feed the people that needed it the most. His son Subhash Talekar, current spokesperson of MDA elaborates, “He was our father figure, our leader, our Neta and our Guru. He often told us about feeding the hungry on Mumbai’s street. So on his first death anniversary in December 2015, the entire association launched the Roti Bank in his memory.”
According to Talekar, around 400 dabbawalas in the city work overtime to collect leftover food from parties in the city. “We get around 25 calls every day and around 50 calls on weekends. We go and collect food from caterers, households, parties and anyone who wishes to donate. We feed around 300 people in the city every day,” he said. Talekar mentioned how the media coverage helped them reach every household.
Dabbawalas want to feed more people but have met with a road block. “We want to feed more people but we can’t collect and store food anywhere. We get a lot of calls at midnight when most parties get over but we cannot collect it because there is no one around who will eat the food. We do not have a storage space or a food truck where we can keep food overnight. We are currently talking to a few companies who are showing interest in buying these trucks for us. We have dabbawalas who are ready to take the midnight shift as well,” added Talekar. Many NGOs have also tied up with them and help them with distribution sometimes.
Finding Dabbawalas to feed the hungry is not the issue. Although they do not collect food meant for two to three people, every railway station on all three railway lines has a dedicated Dabbawala who collects them. Anyone can bring the left-over food and search for a white Gandhi topi at their station and deposit it with them. Even the railway staff is aware of their deposit spots.
“We want to double our work but we still won’t be able to reach every hungry person. Half of the country goes to sleep hungry and only people in homes can truly find the starving and help them. We get calls from Delhi and Bihar who want to donate food to us but we don’t have networks there. You just need to go outside your house and you will find the hungry in your streets. People need to take this move forward,” said Talekar who launched more Roti Banks in Nagpur and Wardha.
India topped the world hunger list last year, with as many as 194 million people in the country going to bed hungry on a daily basis. According to the agriculture ministry, India wastes around Rs. 50,000 crore worth of food every year. In times like these, Roti banks sound exactly like the beacon of hope we need.
You can call on +919867221310 and +918652760542 if you have food to give away.