I learned about spice dabbas when I was studying some Indian cooking techniques recently. They are excellent tools, and I am surprised that they are not better known in the US. I use two of them. One for seeds and other spices that I use early during cooking, and one for spices that I use later in the preparation of a dish. It's a great system, and much handier than digging around in a cupboard for bottles of spices. It's not just for Indian cooking.