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Best Tour in Mumbai: Dabbawala | Dhobi Ghat |…

Meet The Dabbawalas of Mumbai (Super Hero of Bombay)

Founded Mumbai, Maharastra, 1890

For anyone who has ever been to Mumbai, the Dabbawalas are a special class of people who everyone knows! For the uninitiated though – Who is a Dabbawalla? 

The word “dabbawala” in Hindi when literally translated, means “one who carries a box”. “Dabba” means a box (usually a cylindrical tin or aluminum container). The closest meaning of the dabbawala in English would be the “lunch box delivery man”

Dabbawala Delivery Code

The dabbawalas (also spelled dabbawallas or dabbawallahs, called tiffin wallahs in older sources) constitute a lunchbox delivery and return system that delivers hot lunches from homes and restaurants to people at work in India, especially in Mumbai. The lunchboxes are picked up in the late morning, delivered predominantly using bicycles and railway trains, and returned empty in the afternoon. They are also used by meal suppliers in Mumbai, who pay them to ferry lunchboxes with ready-cooked meals from central kitchens to customers and back. The 2013 Bollywood film The Lunchbox is based on the dabbawala service.

Each day throughout the city of Mumbai, 5,000 of the dabbawalas deliver some 130,000 dabbas to offices throughout the metropolis. In the nearly 120 years of this service, the dabbawalas’ approach has remained consistent: a semi-literate workforce (the dabbawalas) pick up the filled dabbas from the households that prepare them and deliver the boxes to the requisite offices; they then retrieve the empty dabbas from these delivery points and returned them to the originating households, in order to begin the process again the next day. Roughly 260,000 transactions are completed within 6 hours each day, 6 days a week, 51 weeks a year, and operating at a quality level comparable to Six Sigma processes. Moreover, this operational excellence is accomplished in the absence of technology, such as computers or even cell phones. 

Stories – like the remarkable one that the Dabbawalas have, inspire teams to relook at their own paradigms with fresh new eyes.

Dhobi Ghat ( Open Air-Laundry )

(Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat) is a well-known open-air laundromat in Mumbai, India. The washers, locally known as Dhobis, work in the open to wash the clothes from Mumbai’s hotels and hospitals. There are rows of open-air concrete wash pens, each fitted with its own flogging stone. Called the world’s largest outdoor laundry, Dhobi Ghat is a very popular attraction among foreign tourists.

The word Dhobi Ghat is used all over India to refer to any place where many washers are present. It is located next to Mahalaxmi railway station on the Western Railway’s Saat Rasta roundabout.

In 2013, World Records India and World Amazing Records honored World Record Certificate to Dhobi Kalyan. Home to the dhobis and their families (around 200 families), the Dhobi Ghat has seen this occupation passed down from one generation to the next. Also known as the Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat, it can be viewed easily from the Mahalaxmi Railway station. The best time to visit Dhobi Ghat is early morning and early afternoon. While the dhobis are in action in the morning to take care of the washing load, the early afternoons are an ideal time to see the clothes dry.

Why Dharavi is the heart of Mumbai? ( Slum Tour )

Mumbai Dharavi slum Tour

Dharavi slum was founded in 1882 during the British Raj yet remains to be an iconic destination for city lovers. Asia’s largest slum Dharavi lies on prime property right in the middle of India’s financial capital, Mumbai.  Dharavi is much more than a historic area of Mumbai’s poverty. Most of these things are created innovatively, in very small spaces!

We are pleased to welcome you to witness the hidden treasures of Mumbai. Our walking tours through the industries and residential areas of Dharavi show the unique strengths, opportunities, and challenges of the community. Our aim is to raise awareness while dispelling the negative attitudes many people have about slums. The tour offers walking through the narrow alleyways of Dharavi for 2.5 hours. The tour will then end with visiting a KumbharWada pottery colony, where visitors will get to have a unique glimpse of artisans creating all types of pots out of unfired, sun-dried clay.

> For any Further Queries please connect with us and we shall be glad to assist You.

Contact us at +91 900413 5215

Email: info@mumbaidreamtours.com

To Book this tour click on  the link: https://mumbaidreamtours.com/portfolio/dabbawala-tour/

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Slum Tour in Mumbai | Must do if you…

Visit Asia’s Largest Slum, DHARAVI: The Heart of Mumbai.

Mumbai Dharavi slum Tour

Why is Dharavi the heart of Mumbai?

In the 18th century, Dharavi was an island with predominantly mangrove swamp. It was a sparsely populated village before the late 19th century, inhabited by Koli fishermen. Dharavi was then referred to as the village of Koliwada. Dharavi slum was found in 1882 during the British Raj yet remains to be an iconic destination for the city lovers. Asia’s largest slum Dharavi lies on prime property right in the middle of Indian’s financial capital, Mumbai.  Dharavi is much more than a historic area of Mumbai’s poverty. Most of these things are created innovatively, in very small spaces!

Dharavi which is one of the largest slums in Asia. Dharavi economic output is estimated to be approximately 1 billion US dollars annually much of that revenue is generated by the Rubies informal recycling industry over 20 million people live in Mumbai they produce over 6,500 tons of garbage every single day over 85% of that waste is recycled. Normally people think slum is all poor people left there but we are trying to show the different set of Dharavi slums which is a sense of community and friendly and hard work hard-working people that have is a place where many different kinds of people live there are very poor people and also very very rich also people who export stuff from here who make millions of rupees so it’s a city within the city we love doing this tour’s in Dharavi because this is not a monument where information always the same here we meet the real people and the real side of slum and this is how we are trying to change the legend about the Dharavi slums in Mumbai.

Dharavi is a Houses about One million of Mumbai’s inhabitant and its industries have an annual turnover of approximately US $ 665 million. It has a large number of thriving small-scale industries that produce embroidered garments, export quality leather goods, pottery, plastic and many more. Most of these products are made in tiny manufacturing units spread across the slum and are sold in domestic as well as international markets.

Dharavi is a large area situated between Mumbai’s two main suburban railway lines, the Western and Central Railways. To the west of Dharavi are Mahim and Bandra, and to the north lies the Mithi River. The Mithi River empties into the Arabian Sea through the Mahim Creek. The area of Antop Hill lies to the east while the locality called Matunga is located in the South. Due to its location and poor sewage and drainage systems, Dharavi particularly becomes vulnerable to floods during the wet season.

Dharavi is considered one of the largest slums in the world. The low-rise building style and narrow street structure of the area make Dharavi very cramped and confined. Like most slums, it is overpopulated. Compared to Mumbai’s urban floor space index (FSI) of a range from 5 to 15, in Dharavi, it is about 13.3. Government officials are considering changing the Dharavi’s floor space index to 4. Despite the expensive Mumbai lifestyle, Dharavi provides a cheap alternative where rent is as low as Rs.1000 per month.

 

Potable water is supplied by the MCGM to Dharavi and the whole of Mumbai. However, a large amount of water is lost due to water thefts, illegal connection, and leakage. The community also has a number of water wells that are sources of non-potable water.

The original power supply was undertaken by the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST), which distributes power to the island city. In the year 2007, BEST had drawn up a plan for segregating Dharavi from the rest of the city. It was reported that the power supply to Dharavi would be privatized on the lines of Bhiwandi to curb power thefts.

Cooking gas is supplied in the form of liquefied petroleum gas cylinders sold by state-owned oil companies, as well as through piped natural gas supplied by Mahanagar Gas Limited. There are settlement houses that remain not having legal connections to the utility service and thus rely on an illegal connection to the water and power supply.

 

About Dharavi Walking Tour In Mumbai

We are pleased to welcome you to witness the hidden treasures of Mumbai. Our walking tours through the industries and residential areas of Dharavi show the unique strengths, opportunities, and challenges of the community. Our aim is to raise awareness while dispelling the negative attitudes many people have about slums. The tour offers walking through narrow alleyways of Dharavi for 2.5 hours. Dharavi Slum tours are emphasized on human spirits of operating in any conditions. Our friendly tour operators to take you the spot where Slumdog millionaire was actually filmed. With quite immeasurable residents, you may additionally witness the large periphery of diversity. The tour will then end with visiting a KumbharWada pottery colony, where visitors will get to have the unique glimpse of artisans creating all types of pots out of unfired, sun-dried clay. 

Mumbai is fully staffed with Local guides. Most of your tour guide is university student living in Dharavi Slum that Helps them with their studies by providing a much-Needed financial gain to all or any permit them to study. By taking this tour you recognize you’re putting one thing into the material of Mumbai Society.

The most interesting thing, guide himself lives in Dharavi slum.

Book your Dharavi slum Tour https://mumbaidreamtours.com/portfolio/slum-tour/

> For any Further Queries please connect with us and we shall be glad to assist you.

Contact us on +91 900413 5215

Email : info@mumbaidreamtours.com

 

 
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Experience Mumbai in the calm and cool of the…

Have you ever seen India’s busiest metropolis before it wakes up?

Pedaling around India’s biggest city would, by day, mean taking your life in your hands. Fancy a cycle ride through the wanted heritage sites of the city you call home come and see aamchi Mumbai on a cycle tour with like journey enthusiasts. Let the sights and sounds of South Mumbai enthrall you under the indigo midnight sky. Breathe in the crisp, cool air you surpass nice monuments, previous structures, and architectural wonders, all lying asleep at the close of day.

While the remainder of the city is only is barely just commencing to wake up, we have a tendency to take advantage of the empty streets and cool air to explore South Mumbai by cycle. The tour starts at 6 AM and  Your 4-hour bicycle tour starts with a gentle ride through the back streets of the Fort area, a business district that lay at the heart of the city during the 18th century. As you wind our way through the back lanes, we’ll visit must-see Mumbai sights just like the Gateway of India and CST Station as well as some hidden gems like Sassoon Dock and Mumbai Panjrapole (cow sanctuary). Safety is that the number one priority on this trip, and thus Bicycle helmets are available on request and a second guide cycles at the back of the group.

At the end of the tour, we’ll stop for a well-deserved South Indian breakfast of dosa, idli, upma, and much more.

We expertise in showing you the bliss of various coastal sides of Mumbai. Our extended solutions are offered for day or night bicycle tours. When you wish to have unique and kind experiences, do book us.

 

Mumbai street food Blog

Mumbai’s Best Street Food Tour!

What better way to sample some of this food that we have been so curious about, foods we have been seeing as we toured the city on our own.  It was great to have a guide, to explain to us what we were eating and what was (hopefully!) safe to eat. I did have some concerns that we could be paying for this little adventure over the next few days, but Sagar, our guide, assured us that everything we were about to eat was clean safe food.

The tour started at Chowpatty, Mumbai’s beach and local hang out spot.  There were many stands here selling food, most of them looked to be selling the same foods.  Its kind of reminded me of buying food at a carnival.  This was a Hindu area of town and everything that we would be eating here would be vegetarian.

Pani Puri

The first thing we tried was pani puri.  A hollow ball of crusty dough, almost like a taco chip, was punctured by the thumb of the man serving the food and filled with a cold water mixture of what looked like corn and something green.

I could count five things in the preparation of this food with the potential to get us ill…should we really be doing this?

The four of us were served our pani puri.  The proper way to eat it was to put the entire thing into your mouth and eat it.  It is quite a large bite of food!  I bit into mine, sending a surprising explosion of cold, spicy, vegetable water into my mouth.  I can’t say that I really liked it.  Still, I went back for seconds, but that was enough for me.

Dahi Batata Puri

Next up was Dahi batata puri. After stuffing the puri and topping it with sauces and copious amounts of creamy Dahi, he hands us the plate with a flourish and we proceed to dig in. This was awesome.  Those same puri shells were filled with some vegetable mixture, hot this time, and not watery, then doused with yogurt and herbs.  So, so good! 

Pav Bhaji

The third dish we tried turned out to be a family favorite, pav bhaji.  This part of India was first settled by the Portuguese, and this dish has a Portuguese origin.  Tomatoes and other vegetables are cooked and mashed together and Indian spices are added to it.  We ate the bread with the vegetable mixture and it was awesome.  I could eat this every day.

Kulfi

Next up, another family favorite and something sweet this time.  Kulfi is sweetened condensed milk with added flavorings, then frozen. Any flavors can be added, however, the assortment of Kulfi flavors we enjoyed were pistachio, mango, vanilla, rosewater, cardamom and cashew nut – all traditional delicious Indian flavors.  This was perfect on a hot night and it was so good that we went back for seconds.

Chicken Rolls and Sandwiches

Part one of the tour was over.  To get to the next location, a predominantly Muslim neighborhood in Mumbai, we had to take a twenty-minute taxi ride across town.  Now it was time for some meat dishes.

We took our seats in the back of a very small restaurant.  It was very warm in the back, even at 8 pm.  Here we ate chicken rolls, a dish made of beef and eggs in a flat pastry, and a spicy chicken sandwich.  It was all very good, especially the spicy chicken sandwich.

Ice Cream

Ice cream time!  There’s always room for ice cream, especially homemade ice cream. Everything that needs to be said about Taj Icecream has probably been said. The outlet is over 125 years old, and if it isn’t the oldest ice cream place in the city, we don’t know what is. Its charm exists in the traditional preparation of ice cream, still churned by hand. That the place isn’t ideal to hang out at is a small mercy, or we’d be there for dessert all night. Everything tastes good here, and it’s arguably the best traditional ice creams in the city. we were the biggest fans of this dish.

Our food tour ended at Taj Icecream.  What a wonderful experience.  I love trying new foods, especially strange new foods.  And I am very happy to say that none of us got sick after this tour, a very wonderful thing since we had a plane to catch to Udaipur the next day.

So, if anyone has plans to tour Mumbai, put the street food tour with Mumbai Dream Tours at the top of your life.

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