As Westminster Abbey in London gears up for King Charles III’s coronation on Saturday, Mumbai’s famous dabbawalas is planning to distribute sweets to celebrate the event.

In 2003, Charles III visited dabbawalas who deliver meals across the city. In remembrance, the dabbawalas will celebrate the coronation.

Subhash Talekar, the spokesperson of the Mumbai Dabbawala Association, said they will be watching the King’s coronation ceremony on Saturday. “We are also planning to distribute sweets at nearby civic hospitals to celebrate the day. He is one of the reasons why our community got recognised across the world. We are thankful to him and will be happy to celebrate his crowning day.”

He said that the King was impressed with “our punctuality and time management skills”. During his visit, the King asked us how we managed the task daily and so efficiently. King Charles had met the Dabbawalas at the Churchgate station footpath, one of their assembly points.

In 2005, at Charles’s invitation, two of the dabbawalas community visited London to attend the then Prince Charles’s wedding with Camellia Parker Bowles.

A 68-year-old Dabbawala, Sopan More recalled how within five days his passport was arranged to visit London in order to attend King Charles III’s, then a Prince, wedding in 2005. “It was my first visit outside the country. I was adamant to wear my traditional white cap, which is dabbawala’s identity, during the visit and wedding ceremony. It was a memorable experience.”

More said that after Charles’s visit to Mumbai and an invitation to his wedding, they received invitations from various organisations to speak on time management skills. “He (Charles) is like our family. He made us and our skill famous.”

The dabbawalas have gifted King Charles a copy of Dyaneshwari (a translation of the Bhagwad Gita in the Marathi language, a traditional topi (cap), Kolhapuri chappals (the famous leather footwear from Kolhapur) and a shawl.

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