The tiffin box or dabba - is more than a lunch container. It's a daily ritual of logistics, love and the enduring importance of ghar ka khana (home-cooked food), carrying nourishment and a taste of home through the busiest working days.
The system began in 1890, when many office workers left home too early for a proper meal. Mahadeo Havaji Bachche organised around 100 dabbawalas, creating the first coordinated lunch delivery network and laying the foundations for Mumbai's iconic tiffin system.