Puneri Pagadi, Shawl: Mumbai Dabbawalas Upbeat Over Attending King Charles' Coronation, Buy Gifts

The coronation of King Charles III and his wife Camilla is scheduled for Saturday, May 6. Ahead of the ceremony, Dabbawalas in Mumbai were seen purchasing gifts – Puneri Pagadi and a shawl of the Warkari community for King Charles on Tuesday.

Dabbawalas claimed that they have been sent invitations by British Consulate, British Embassy, ANI reported.

Vishnu Kaldoke, Spokesperson for Mumbai Dabbawalas said Mumbai Dabbawalas have had good relations with British royalty. “Two dabbawalas were invited to his wedding. It was an honour for us. He is about to become the King. So, we want to present King Charles with Puneri Pagadi and a shawl of the Warkari community,” he added.

The 74-year-old royal will be formally crowned as monarch along with his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6 and millions are expected to join in the celebrations over a long holiday weekend.

Dabbawalas’ ‘Royal’ Connection

The dabbawalas and their relationship with Charles began when the latter made a visit to Mumbai. Charles reportedly met dabbawalas at Churchgate railway station and was “highly impressed” by their work culture.

As special guests, two dabbawalas attended the royal wedding of Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles in 2005.

Raghunath Medge, an office bearer with the Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Association, was one of the two dabbawalas who attended the royal wedding. He said all the travel and other expenses for their London trip were borne by Charles.

They gifted Charles a Maharashtrian turban and a sari for Camilla for the wedding, according to NDTV.

As per a report in DNA, dabbawalas also sent a kurta and a (turban) for Prince Harry and a Paithani saree for Meghan Markle for their wedding in 2018.

Who Else is Attending Ceremony from India?

Actor Sonam Kapoor is set to share the stage with global icons such as Lionel Richie and Katy Perry and at the grand Coronation Concert planned for King Charles III in May. Sonam will be the only Indian celebrity to be present and participate in the event.

On behalf of the Indian government, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar will be visiting the UK on May 5 and 6 to attend the coronation of King Charles III.

India and the UK have a historic relationship and share values of democracy, rule of law and many complementarities and convergences, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

The relationship was elevated to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2021 with the adoption of Roadmap 2030 for Future Relations.

In 2022, President Droupadi Murmu visited London from September 17 to 19 to attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and offered condolences.

(With PTI inputs)

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