Ignity in recycling: The uniform erves even after duty ends
When Major Genashim Kohli retired from ndian Army in 2019, he had ks of different kinds of seruniforms. While he wanted eep a couple of them as embrance, he wasn’t quite how he could dispose of est with the dignity they rved. He talked to several w army officers, who ed before him and most, he zed, had boxes full of old orms with no idea what to ith them. n Republic Day this year, i set up a non-profit that cts uniforms from defence s and upcycles them into a e of products. ome soldiers like to keep niforms intact along with medals. Others cut it or
it with a heavy heart to d any misuse. Our organizanow collects old uniforms
defence personnel and uces masks, aprons, school , blankets, and a range of r products from them, h are donated to various y welfare organizations, to the underprivileged secof the society,” says Kohli, der of Sewaj Neesim Founon, who runs a website ed ‘Vardi Ka Samman’, the cause it espouses. In the two months, it has cold over 5,000 old uniforms tly from the retired and ng defence personnel. epoi’ -- a name from the ‘sipahi’ meaning soldier--nother such initiative. nded in 2019 by Mumbaid couple Siddharth and i Jaiswal, it turns old nce uniforms into products as backpacks, tote bags, aptop bags. Siddharth says ear 2016 marked a turning t in their lives when they a news about how terrornvolved in the Pathankot k disguised themselves in y uniforms. hat is when we realised old Army uniforms could nto wrong hands and be for illegal and even terrorctivities. When I did more arch on the subject, I realthat a lot of old, worn-out
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The Indian Army officers use about eight types of uniforms for different occasions during winter and summer, which include general duty uniforms, blue patrol, 6 Alpha/ 6 Bravo, combat uniform, dungarees, smocks. The veterans tell you how their uniforms—with their various insignia, accoutrements, badges of rank, and lanyards of their regiments—represent pride, honour and their very identity as soldiers.
The question of the disposal of uniforms in a dignified manner, they say, has bothered them for decades. The Indian army spokesperson declined to comment on whether the Army has any internal mechanism for disposal of old uniforms.
“I have 26 sets of uniforms, which were like my second skin, and I cannot express my emotional attachment to them. I cannot dispose them like other old clothes. I feel recycling them is a good solution,” said Lieutenant General R S Salaria, who retired from service in March last year.
“Thousands of defence personnel
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Kohli’s organisation outsources upcycling work to various NGOS. “We are distributing all the products made from these uniforms to army-welfare organizations, orphanages, old-age homes, among others. The idea is to give back to the army and the society,” said Kohli.
Sepoi, Siddharth says, shares up to 15% of its profits with various NGOS working for the welfare of women. He sells handcrafted products, designed by professional designers, through Sepoi’s website and other e-commerce platforms. “When we started, we thought that most of our customers would be civilians. Today, 60% of our products are being purchased by those who are in the army or have their relatives in the army,” he said.
Interestingly, the bags Sepoi makes has a card or a printed piece of paper with a story about the uniform and the soldier who wore it. “We do not collect old uniforms randomly, but ones whose wearer can tell his or her story. The idea is to educate people about the values, valour and selfless service by the veterans to our country and to enhance the civilian-military understanding,” said Jaiswal.
Sepoi’s signature collection combines cloth from old army uniforms and fresh leather to produce fashionable bags. “I add leather to ensure that our products look premium and competitive in the market. They are high on patriotism and style,” says Jaiswal.
Sachin (who uses only his first name), a designer and production head at Swatric--a Delhi-based firm that is currently upcycling old defence uniforms for Sewaj Neesim Foundation-said the fabric used in the army uniform has a twill weave construction, which makes it very sturdy and suitable for making different products. “But making flat fabric from old defence uniform is quite a challenge as these have several tags, buttons, pockets on the base fabric. After making the flat fabric, we send it for washing,” said Sachin. “We can make one school bag or 15 masks from a uniform. I cannot explain the joy of turning these old army uniforms into other useful products. I feel I am doing my bit in helping save the environment and the dignity of the old army uniforms, ” said Sachin.