The Netherlands' Queen to meet Mumbai dabbawalas

Queen Maxima of The Netherlands will meet Mumbai's famed Dabbawalas - tiffin-box carriers at Andheri station here on Wednesday, an association spokesman said on Tuesday.

According to Mumbai Dabbawalas Association spokesperson Subhash Talekar, Queen Maxima will visit the Dabbawalas at their duty switch point near Andheri railway station on Wednesday afternoon.

"We shall welcome her in a traditional Maharashtrian style. On behalf of all the Dabbawalas, we shall gift her with a 'dabba', our well-known trademark, as a souvenir," he said.

Dabbawalas' leaders like Shantaram Karvande and Ulhas Muke among others shall be present to greet Queen Maxima, he added.

According to Talekar said that some Dabbawalas have suggested to present the visiting dignitary with a 'dabba' full of special Marathi cuisine.

"However, the traditional Marathi food that we prepare is very rich, spicy, and oily, which probably the Queen may not relish," he said.

The Dabbawalas plan to show her their working in the suburban local trains, how the tiffin-boxes are sent without error to over a lakh customers since over a century in summer, winter or monsoons.

The Argentina-born Queen Maxima, 47, arrived in India on Monday in her capacity as the UN Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development.

She has already met President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, besides other top officials in the capital before her Mumbai visit.

--IANS

qn/vd