A 'Talk' One 'Listened' To


Well , it has been really long since I wrote and some dear friends have been very disappointed to see nothing  new on my blog for quite some time now. Frankly, when people start asking about your next post you start thinking of coming up with something really good. You wait for that right idea to strike a chord with you so that you start penning down your thoughts effortlessly.  Its not like no idea struck me in these past months. In fact I had some very enriching experiences in my first year in a B-school, some ideas absolutely worth sharing but blame it on my bad time management that I didn’t write. Today, however, I am not attempting to come up with something really good or impressive. Nothing too creative or witty or sarcastic. I am just writing to share this one idea that moved me deeply. In the first year it was mandatory for us to attend the several talks that the college kept organizing almost every other day. So one sat through (read slept through) CEO talks, expert talks, guest lectures, alumni talks and what-not-talks day in and day out. But ensuring physical attendance doesn’t guarantee mental attendance too, does it?  So out of these countless talks if there is one ‘talk’ one ‘listened’ to, it was by Mr. Anshu Gupta, CEO, Goonj. Goonj is an NGO which is known primarily for its initiative “vastra samman”. They believe that by reusing our old clothes the problem of clothing for poor can be solved to large extent.  One wasn’t particularly excited about attending yet another talk so one just perfunctorily went and sat but the line which captured one’s attention was “lash ko pakad ke so jati hu, lash karwat nai leti”. While working as a journalist Mr.Gupta had done a story on a man who picked up unclaimed bodies of people dying in the chilly Delhi winters because of lack of appropriate clothing and shelter. The line was said by the man’s daughter, a minor girl, who survived the winter nights by hugging dead bodies for heat! Uneasiness, pity, and horror were at once palpable in the room. Its ironical that every year we hear about people succumbing to cold but it took the story of a survivor to actually sensitize us towards the issue.  At least death from cold is discussed everywhere but there is one issue which is discussed nowhere; the issue of sanitary napkins for poor women. Nobody talks about it. As if poor women are aliens and don’t need them at all so why discuss it! One can’t imagine the plight of those women who can barely afford clothes to cover their modesty let alone affording sanitary napkins.  Goonj works to address these issues and they are doing a great job at it.  They are doing their bit, let’s do our bit in whichever way possible. Donate clothes you no longer need and share this idea. You never know, something that is invaluable to you can be priceless to somebody else. Kudos to Mr. Gupta and Goonj. For more info you can of course google.

Comments

  1. Finally.. And you know what I'm feeling so great because you just made me realize that am doing the right thing.. I do donate my old clothes.. For the blog, great as usual.. :D

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  2. hey thanks Tuhi..n m proud of u gal :)

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  3. Good article..horrifying truth

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  4. के सम्मान से जीने का हक हर किसी को है इस जहाँ में...
    वो और बात है कि -
    इस हक कि लड़ाई में हमने अपने अन्दर छुपे इंसान को मार डाला शायद...!!!

    great article kittu...“lash ko pakad ke so jati hu, lash karwat nai leti”--- yaar kittu baat maan meri start writing for sum newspaper s editorial column...:)

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  5. Thanks megha..thanks rahul :)tu newspaper shuru kar..i'll start writing for it :)

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  6. and finally i read this post! sahi hai ladki... aur tune blog ka theme change kiya hai na? :D achcha lag raha hai..

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  7. yep yep :) change kia hai humne theme..gud to know aapko pasand aya :)

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