'Dabbawalas' celebrate Royal Wedding, distribute sweets to patients

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MUMBAI: The famous 'Dabbawalas of Mumbai' celebrated the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle by distributing sweets to patients of a government hospital here on Saturday.

"Today is special for us because of Prince Harry's wedding. All the dabbawalas have contributed money to get the sweets and we are distributing it to the patients undergoing treatment here. We wish the couple a beautiful future together," said Subhash Talekar, spokesperson of the Dabbawalas association.

The Dabbawalas association also sent a pair of traditional Maharashtrian attire for the bride and groom with the help of the consulate.

Courtesy to their friendship with Prince Harry's father, Prince Charles, the Mumbai Dabbawalas Association bought a Paithani saree, a salwar kurta, complete with a kolhapuri pheta -a traditional Marathi wedding attire- from the same shop where they bought the wedding gift for Prince Charles and his second wife, Camilla Parker back in 2005.

The Dabbawalas' relationship with the British royal family goes back to 2003 when Prince Charles visited Mumbai. Since then, a special friendship was forged and the Dabbawalas even attended his second wedding.

The Dabbawalas were not invited this time, but it didn't dim their excitement or their well wishes for the couple.

The royal wedding took place on May 19 at England's Windsor Castle.