I, Me, Myself

Zara hatke, Zara Bachke…Yeh hai Mumbai meri jaan! Born and brought up in a city like Mumbai where life stops for no one and there is no end to one’s success, I am SUFIA KHAN, a 22 year old confident and ambitious girl brimming with its inherent ambition and passion to grow while breaking new boundaries for myself.

Recalling my school days at D.A.V Public school, Nerul, makes me laugh. I always dreamt of being a Journalist but eventually landed up taking Science as my stream in my Higher Secondary school. During these two years of my education I realized that being a science student and then entering into chemical engineering would have not given me a sense of satisfaction and achievement as I was just doing it because of peer pressure.

But sooner the better, as I completed my 12th Grade from a CBSE Board in 2008, I had made up my mind that my passion and focus lies in getting into the media world. Through my research on Internet and friends, I came to know about the Bachelors of Mass Media course which opened my doorway to this Industry. And then the race began for an admission in BMM and the finish line was V.E.S College of Arts, Science & Commerce.

V.E.S College of Arts, Science & Commerce provided me with a platform to excel and achieve all my goals that I had lived for. I participated in loads of News Reporting and Advertising events, RJ Hunts and made a mark by winning majority of them. Being the Cultural Secretary of the college gave me a platform to prove my mantle and show my leadership quality. In my 2nd year of BMM I participated in a National Seminar and won the title of YOUNG MASTER MIND and also managed to get the Best College Trophy for my College. In the 3rd year of my BMM I got the opportunity of being the General Secretary of the college and represented my college in the First Student Council Parliament held at Kothrud, Pune. The seeds sown of hardwork, dedication and willingness to succeed resulted in me topping the College in Journalism and getting the Best Student Award of the college and holdingthe  Ghanshyamdas Saraf Trophy in my hand.

In my 3 years of BMM I had interned with Radio One, Worked as a news Reporter and Anchor for News 24 hours (Hindi) and PR Executive for Birla Sunlife Insurance. I also worked for a show on Bindass Channel by Promotion Productions. By the time I completed my Journalism, I realized that more than reporting it was Public Relations that appealed me more.

Some say that it is the media that shapes the world around us. Others argue that the media merely reflects our society as we make it. Either way, public relations is involved in shaping the opinions that we have on the personalities that the media presents us with through reputation.
To create and maintain the reputation and positive representation of an organization or individual is challenging and ever changing and I believe that this is why public relations appeals to me with its unrelenting energy and power. A career involving unexpected changes, inevitable twists and turns appeals to me far more than a life of routine ever could.

After my graduation with majors in Journalism I took the step of getting on field and learn how the industry works and then do my Masters. I started my career by working as a PR EXECUTIVE with ARGUS ELECTRONIC SECURITY SYSTEMS and was then picked up by PRIMEcorp99 as a PR MANAGER. Working there for a year made me more professional and helped me delve more in the core of the industry. During my Tenure at PRIMEcorp99 I also was an Assistant lecturer for PR & MEDIA MANAGEMENT Course held at Elphinstone College, Fort. After that I got an opportunity to work as CORPORATE RELATIONS MANAGER at INTER NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FASHION DESIGN, Vashi and I am currently pursuing my MASTERS IN PUBLIC RELATIONS from MUMBAI UNIVERSITY.

I am ambitious and highly motivated to succeed. To my mind, a real career in Public Relations cannot be made until one studies it, not purely for its academic appeal but in the hope that it will shed light on the best road ahead. Since the excellence of corporate communications lies in its effectiveness, there is certainly a need for academically trained professionals who are taught to be more strategic and technologically competent.
I know where to direct the force of my will, to ensure that my career doesn’t lay within the ruins of indecisiveness. In this decision alone, I choose the only path that shall lead me to certain success in Public Relations.

Sufia Khan

Mumbai Dabbawalas: Super Heroes of the city

Mumbai is known as the city of dreams and as a city that never sleeps. So a city that never sleeps how can that city be hungry. To save the day and feed the hungry mouths, the city has its own heroes called the Dabbawalas.

I once got the opportunity to attend an event based on food/tiffin services in Mumbai. My first impression was "What am I doing here hearing presentations on tiffin services in Mumbai, catering in Mumbai, etc." My friend was about to get my piece of mind for making me attend the event on a weekend, but the best part of the event was saved for the last.

It was a talk to be given by the city's Dabbawalas and Dabba service providers. It was one great talk that gave me better insights of management. The presentation given by the Dabbawalas were as good as any other management forum.

The presenter in the beginning gave a small introduction about who they are and what they do. The Mumbai Dabbawalas are a unit of 5000 self employed people who deliver tiffin services/ Lunch boxes delivery across the length mid breadth of the city. Seems like an easy job but it takes immense management skills, reliability and accuracy.

I was surprised it know that the city's Dabbawalas have acquired an ISO certification and also a six sigma certification. 'These certifications are one of the most coveted ones which otganisations strive hard to acquire. Out of the 5000 Dabbawalas, approximately 85% are illiterate and the remaining were not even able to complete college.

I was astonish to know while the presentation was on that these Dabbawalas on a daily basis do 2 lac lunch box deliveries across the city. They also have an accuracy rate of 99.99%. In other words, I out of a million tiffin services has a possibility of getting wrongly delivered.

The presentation by the Dabbawalas team taught me a very important lesson of management. Keep your business simple, appoint people with dedication towards work, make the business people centric and not process centric and finally have the willingness to learn more through your work.

An Idea can change your life....

I strongly believe that a good idea if ideated perfectly can change a person's life. Although I am a PR Professional but my visit to Chadaro's Kitchen plant have instilled a sense of curiosity towards this sector of tiffin service or Dabba service.

I was just wondering that how this business which was initially started by housewives has become a big competitive market with players like Yummy Tiffins, Magic-o-Meal, Soul Care, Spice Box etc.

Through my research on internet about the Tiffin Service sector I came across a very interesting story of Pratik Jain.

Pratik Jain, who is a hardcore vegetarian found it difficult to get a meal of his choice while working for an MNC in Mumbai.  He was ready to shell out extra money on a delicious full-course meal, but could not find a food service good enough to whet his appetite. Though he found some online services that delivered meals at his doorstep, he was not ready to ‘risk’ his health as he was not so sure about the quality of food.

Pratik scented an opportunity in online tiffin service space, which led him to quit his job and launch Yummy Tiffins, in Mumbai in April 2010. The company, which claims to be India’s first customised online food delivery service, currently serves meals to almost 200 customers every day.

Yummy Tiffins now employs around nine people, and has also tied up with the Mumbai Dabbawala Association to deliver food to corporates. The price starts at Rs 55. Jain claims that the company is already profitable and is now planning to expand to more cities. “Our business has a healthy margin. The revenues have doubled from last year’s figures. We are launching in Bangalore in 3-4 months, where we will operate on our own. We are also expanding to Pune shortly.”

Tiffin service is not exactly a virgin space as there were players like Mumbai-based CalorieCare, founded in as early as 2005, offering customers meals packed with the count of carbohydrates, fats, protein and the calories. It now serves meals to almost 1,000 customers in tray-packed, disposable containers, which are delivered to the location of the customer’s choice.

But the trend is there is a new breed of food entrepreneurs who are entering this market using internet as an order channeling system and offering healthier, customised and tastier tiffins to customers.

This new trend has revolutionised the famous Dabbawala's and Dabba Service in Mumbai. "Chadaro Taza Tazaa" is an upcoming name in the Tiffin Service in Mumbai. Apart from the regular tiffin service they also serve Jain veg tiffins. They also do catering for events and also deal in corporate catering.

Chadaro in Mumbai is rapidly increasing its customer base. One of thier advantage is that apart from delivering tiffins to corporates and catering for events, conferences and party orders they are also in Lunch Boxes delivery and also breakfast delivery in schools and colleges.

It will be interesting to see that how these Dabba fights take shape in the future, as this is highly unstructured market.

Till then happy reading!

Sumptuous Meal starting @ Rs. 45/-

 In my last blog I had let you know about my meeting at Vasai and how I was curious about the hoarding of "Chadaro Taza Tazaa" which I saw at Vasai while travelling back home, and how it made me get a free visit  at Chadaro's Kitchen Plant which is into the tiffin service sector.

The next day in the morning I got a call from the Marketing Manager of Chadaro in Vasai.  It was a confirmation call for my visit to their Kitchen Plant  which is situated in Vasai itself. I was really amazed with the prompt reply and warmness. I was given the appointment of the same day for  11:00am. Without any hesitation I confirmed my presence.

I was all set to visit Chadaro Tiffins...I mean Chadaro Tiffin Service in Mumbai. I reached Vasai station at 10:45am. I had been offered a pickup drop service by Chadaro. I was on time at the Plant. The Marketing Manager  and the other staff  gave me a warm welcome with a welcome drink.

The moment I entered the Kitchen plant crossing the admin area I was really amazed with the cleanliness of the plant. For a hospitality business this is one important factor. The kitchen was sparkling. The utensils were shinning bright and the cooks were neatly dressed in their uniform taking care of all the hygiene factors.

The most convincing factor was the use of water. Clean and filtered water is the  door to healthy life. The kitchen plant has an in – house RO treatment plant which is used for cooking and also for washing of utensils, to maintain truly sterile environment for food preparation. 

The Kitchen of Chadaro

The RO Treatment Plant

Since it was a busy schedule for the staff and the preparation of the tiffins were on - I found out that they were not using baking soda, artificial colors, additives, preservatives and MSGs in the preparation of food. Food was served in disposable food grade trays with aluminium foils to maintain the food temperature and keep the freshness intact. Raw food materials were stored in traditional methods to ensure the flavors and nutritive values. Food was not refrigerated and was cooked fresh . Basic food items provided at Chadaro are dal, sabji, chapattis and rice, chapattis being handmade in-house.

Packaging of Disposable Tiffins

Handmade chapati's and Poli's

It was pleasure seeing all this in reality which was promised by Chadaro on their website and also on the hoarding that I had seen. 

During the tour of the Kitchen and through my interaction with the cooks and other staff out there I came to know a very interesting practice held at Chadaro. At Chadaro, regular competitions are held among the cooking staff to innovate new dishes. The winning dish is then made adaptable and is inculcated in the regular meals thus giving new authentic dishes to the customers.

Staff at Work

Work in Progress

After the tour of the Kitchen I was made to taste the variety of Thali's that they offer-  Basic, Regular, Deluxe, Executive and Premium thali. The basic thali  had 1 Vegetable + 5 Chapattis or Dal Rice or Pulav Raita or Puri Bhaji at a minimum  cost of Rs. 45. I was shocked to see that in today's time where inflation is sky rocketing I can get a sumptuous meal for Rs. 45. The regular thali had 1 Vegetable + 1 Dal + 1 Rice + 4 Chapattis + Veg salad + Pickle for  Rs. 80. The Chadaro Delux Thali had 2 different Vegetables + 1 Dal + 1 Rice + 4 Chapattis or 3 Parathas + 1 Veg Salad + 1 Pickle at the of cost Rs. 100. The Executive Thali had 1 Vegetable + 1 Dal + 1 Rice + 3 Chapattis + Veg salad + Pickle for Rs. 65.  The premium thali had 3 Vegetables + 1 Dal + 1 Rice + 1 Sweet + 3 Paratha’s or 4 Chapattis + Veg Salad + Farsan + Veg salad + Pickle which was for  Rs. 145 only.

I couldn't believe that such amazing variety of dishes was offered at such minimum prices and simultaneously the quality offered was also great. I was curious to know whether the same dishes are served daily in the menu? To this the Manager replied that No, it's not so. Different variety is served for all the 30 days and in the next month the cycle is repeated . The menu changes every quaterly. And apart from just serving Breakfast, lunch and dinner, Chadaro also serves Snack thali's and School Tiffins.  They also offer Jain veg thali and also offer catering for events and also offer corporate catering.

The taste of the food was awesome. I was very impressed with the entire cooking process and also with the packaging of the food.

The entire visit took me about 2 hours at the plant. But was worth spending my time. I was totally stranger to Chadaro but after this visit I feel like a member of it. I have recommended Chadaro tiffin services to all my friends residing and working in Vasai and Mira Road.  For people staying in other parts of Mumbai they can also get the services offered by Chadaro through Dabbawala services.

Hope even you will be recommending it to your near and dear ones!

Till then Happy Reading!

First Impression is the last Impression...

It was a chilled winter morning. My mobile alarm rang at 7:00 am. My hand just came out of my soft feathery blanket to put my mobile on snooze but it fell from my hand. And than I realize I cannot afford to lose my phone...because it's not just a phone but an iphone. And as the saying goes "If you don't have an iphone, you don't have an iphone." And immediately I just came out of my blanket to pick up my iphone which was lying on the floor. It was too late to realize that I was late to catch up for a meeting scheduled for 10:30 am at Vasai. As I live in the other corner of the city- seawoods, Navi- Mumbai ( People think it's a village).

But I any how wanted to attend this client of mine for the renewal of my contract for the PR of his firm.  I was just hoping that my client should postpone the schedule for the meeting. But I was not that fortunate enough. I started getting ready and skipped my breakfast. As usual mom was angry on me because skipping the breakfast had become a regular habit of mine. But I just hurried out of the house to reach station to catch  a train for Vasai. It was not an easy journey for me as to reach Vasai  I have to change two trains. It was going to be 10:30 and I was half the way. My heart was beating very fast. And I decided to call my client that it will take me atleast 45 min more to reach the venue. But this time I guess god was lenient on me and I got a message from my client that he will be late by an hour. And reading the message I took a deep breath and thanked god for the same. 

I reached Vasai at 11:15 am and took a cab for the meeting venue. I was damn hungry but had to control my hunger as a halt for a quick bite would also have made me late. And in PR profession - Where I am responsible for my clients image management, he would definitely think twice before giving me a contract if I am not able to handle my own image by being late. So i chose to be hungry.  I reached my destination and to my surprise I was the first to reach the venue. My client was still 10 min late for the meeting and I realized that god is not that mean to me as much as I think he is in my case. Finally my client arrived and the meeting took off. after a long discussion and negotiation I was able to convince my client for the renewal of the contract. I thanked Mr. Khurana for the trust on me and the meeting got done. In the happiness I did not realize that it was 1 pm. I was very hungry and started to look out for a joint to grab a sumptuous meal. As I stepped out of the meeting venue I saw a hoarding of "Chadaro Taza Tazaa" tiffin services with lovely Visual display of dishes that they serve. This hoarding made my hunger raise more. I was just seeing the services that they offered and was really amazed reading the hoarding. "Chadaro Taza Tazaa" tiffin services offers 4 types of thali - Basic, Regular, Deluxe and Premium which is of two kinds Vegetarian and Jain and starts with a minimum range of Rs. 45 only. I was shocked to see such a variety.

But than I realised that these visuals are not going to suffice my hunger and I saw a Wada Pav stall nearby. I thought that since there is no eating joint that I could spot I have to do away with the Wada Pav which is one of my favourite snack. I ate two wada Pavs with the green chillies but the hoarding of chadaro was right in front of me which made me curious to know more about it. After filling my stomach I took a cab for Vasai station to reach back home. On the way to station I took started searching more about “Chadaro” on internet.  I was directed to Chadaro.com  by Google Uncle.The chadaro website was very user friendly and helped me get to know everything about them in detail - http://chadaro.com/  .

“Chadaro Taza Tazaa” is a brand of Shree Trikutaa Square Meals (P) Limited. Shree Trikutaa Square Meals (P) Limited was formed with a dream of offering home cooked quality food for busy professionals and outstation students in Mumbai and Thane. Shree Trikutaa Square Meals (P) Limited or STSMPL has a vast knowledge regarding various types of recipes, due to which the company can meet the requirements of food lovers. The chefs are multi-talented having a decade of cooking experience, capable of preparing various dishes, which are rich in taste and aroma. The food items are prepared under germ-free conditions and all the raw material undergo quality check  by our chefs, all the ingredients used during cooking process have been tested for adulteration. The company cooks only veg dishes using sunflower oil, all the vegetables are cooked with a view to retain nutrition and can be consumed by both adults and children.

CHADARO’s emphasis is on Indian ethnic food and dedication to sustainable development. Additionally the unit would employ experienced, qualified and trained staff. The company believes in delivering nutritious meals at the doorstep of customers. We have Tiffin services with meal plans offering them the ‘Ghar ka Khana’ experience.

Something that really caught my attention was that Chadaro is against the usage of baking soda, artificial colors, additives, preservatives and MSGs in the preparation of food. Food is served in disposable food grade trays with aluminium foils to maintain the food temperature and keep the freshness intact. Raw food materials are stored in traditional methods to ensure the flavors and nutritive values. Food is never refrigerated and is cooked fresh daily. Basic food items provided are dal, sabji, chapattis and rice, chapattis being handmade in-house. Another eye opener was that the company has an in – house RO treatment plant which is used for cooking and also for washing of utensils, to maintain truly sterile environment for food preparation.

Shree Trikutaa Square Meals (P) Limited has its kitchen facility located near Vasai (East), a prominent junction that connects central and western line. The company plans to expand its facilities to different areas based on demand. The food is prepared to serve corporate food requirements in Thane and Mumbai.  Chadaro has a dedicated transport facility and trusted delivery professionals available to deliver food at your place on time, every time.

After reading all this I was really interested in tasting the food served by “Chadaro”. So I made up my mind that next time when I visit Vasai I will ensure doing so. I called up the contact number displayed on their website – 74988 74988. I was impressed that I didn't have to wait on the line and my call was immediately answered by a gentleman. I was greeted warmly and was informed that they provide tiffin services to corporates and even home delivery at residences. You can be a one time buyer or also become a member by taking up the membership scheme.  Seeing my curiosity I was also offered to visit their kitchen facility. And I grabbed the offer.

I did not imagine this at all that I will fall in love with the hoarding of “Chadaro Taza Tazaa” so much that I will end up landing in their kitchen.

As soon as I hang up the call thanking the gentleman for the details and the invitation. My cab driver turned back saying that it’s been 10min that we have reached Vasai station and I was busy on call. I apologised to him and paid him the fare.

By the time I reached home I was dead tired. But “Chadaro Taza Tazaa”  was still taazaa( Fresh) in my mind. Chadaro Taza Tazaaa's first impression of thier hoarding was so appealing that I couldn't get it out of my mind. After all , First Impression is the last Impression...

Will meet you soon next time elaborating about my experience at  “Chadaro Taza Tazaa” kitchen plant. You never know may be I will be handling their PR account soon.  

Till then Happy Reading!