Two-Wheeler Tiffins Ready For All

By A S Joel Kumar

Deputy Bureau Chief

Sakshi TV

True to the saying “Mind your own business”, life is just that in metros and tier two cities. Everyone is racing with time to reach to their destination. Whether it is office, school, college or a business location. To reach on time for a destination has changed the lifestyle and food habits of people. This led to new business avenues for enterprising minds.

In the past, if one had to take his breakfast outside home, it has to be in hotels located on main thoroughfares. Later, small hotels, generally called tiffin centers mushroomed at every corner. Then, on every street to the roadside tiffin centers sprang up. Recently food trucks have caught everyone's imagination. On a highway or a prominent location food trucks are allowed to prepare hot food and serve.

Now two-wheeler tiffin centers that are turning heads. They are petty businessmen who serve breakfast on their bicycles or mopeds. In fact they are the cheapest tiffin centres in city which are serving breakfast at very affordable prices among the existing food chain eateries. For breakfast they serve idlies, dosas, wadas and uttapams. Each variety costs between Rs 10 and Rs 15. The trend clicked well with the citizens.

The new mobile tiffin centre owners mostly belong to East Godavari. In search of livelihood their families shifted to Hyderabad a decade ago. They live in several basties and localities in and around Hyderabad. Their daily routine starts in the thick of the

night. That is at 2 am. Families get up and start preparing idlies and dosas on firewood. Later, bodas and uttapams. Each family prepares 800 idlies and equal number of dosas and other tiffins.

When a two-wheeler tiffin owner Babji, a resident of Manikeshwarinagar near Osmania University, asked the reason for using firewood for cooking, he said while making dosas “We cannot afford cooking gas. At the same time it is even making us give all the tiffins at affordable prices to people.”

Come, what may, petty mobile tiffin center owners complete their preparations by 6 am. Later, they arrange everything on their two-wheelers and set off for their business. This job is mainly done by men but few women also go out and sell. Many go to main thoroughfares, busy junctions in city, highway routes, near private and government offices to sell. Few even get into colonies, lanes and bylanes to sell their breakfast. “People enjoy our breakfast though not served hot. When we go to our native village sometimes our customers miss our breakfast. This they tell when we return,” says Nagamani, a two-wheeler mobile tiffin owner who visits in Warasiguda area.

This food business, though appears petty, but is making some women self reliant. Rama Lakshmi, a widow is one among them. She belongs to Todanga mandal of East Godavari district. She was a agriculture labour at her native place. Unable to make ends meet, 13 years ago Rama Lakshmi along with husband and four children came to Hyderabad. After few days she lost her husband. Today she feeds her family with this mobile tiffin business. “We cannot go back to our village. I have decided to sell breakfast and survive and I m doing it well. Though there are no big profits in the business, whatever comes we are able to survive,” says Rama Lakshmi.

The business of these petty mobile tiffin centers mostly finishes by the time the employees reach their offices. People from all walks of life are enjoying their food. Mostly cab and autodrivers find it very convenient. “This tiffin centers are really very

handy to us. At the same time we don’t have to spend lot of money,” says Rajasekhar, a cab driver attached to a MNC company.

Even for bachelors and youth, mobile tiffin centers are turning out to be a boon. Some even have become regular customers.

“We find them on our way to office. I enjoy very tasty and affordable breakfast daily,” says Preetham, a private employee.

The two-wheeler tiffin owners are spread all over the city. Their business is not for long hours. But on some routes they are asked to shift from main highway routes by government officials. They are accused of obstructing the traffic. “If we are going to a place where there are no customers what is the use. Government alone can save us from his problem,” says Durga Prakash, mobile tiffin owner at Habsiguda main road.

“These petty business are not a hindrance to anybody. They come in the morning at 6 am and leave by 10 am. They are all self employed and serve the needy people. Government should help them,” says Sridhar, a business who enjoys breakfast on the roadside.

The trend of two-wheeler tiffins is a big hit with the people who are on the move daily. They all find it very convenient. Hope, government takes appropriate steps in this regard.