Society builds ‘Wall of Kindness’ to help poor

Indirapuram apartment initiative to donate books, clothes & medicines

An Indirapuram housing society has become an unusual landmark for the underprivileged who find it tough to make their ends meet. A “Wall of Kindness” or “Neki ki Deewar”, with a message requesting people to “give as much as they can” is dedicated to help those in need.

Through this concept, the residents of the society have helped hundreds of needy people by donating clothes, shoes and books.

The wall is an initiative by the members of the “Helping Others Group”, an informal charity forum and residents of the society, specially senior citizens, at Vaibhav Khand, Indrapuram, in association with the Residents’s Welfare Association (RWA) of the housing society outside the society’s gate.

Tracing the background and achievement of this charity forum, Jigayasu Pant, a former secretary of the housing society, said, “It has been just 4-5 months and the response has been very encouraging. Hundreds of people have contributed clothes, books, shoes which has benefited scores of poor people.”

“Neki Ki Deewar” allows the donors to just come and drop the charitable items, and beneficiaries have the freedom to collect these items according to their need without taking anyone’s approval.

However, a guard keeps a strict vigil over the items while ensuring that the people who come to collect them for their need do not use them for commercial purposes. “Domestic helps, rickshaw-pullers and others stop over at the wall to collect clothes, bags and other things of their need and choice,” said a security guard posted near the wall. However, this noble initiative is not only confined to this housing society but has also spread to nearby colonies as well. Apart from this initiative, the residents of this society have also started providing free medical treatment, especially to the domestic help of the apartments. Medical camps are being organised on weekends, where retired doctors of the housing society examine the domestic helpers. They are also provided free medicines and pathological tests.

“Every Saturday from 3 pm to 5 pm, we organise camps inside the premises of the apartments. It was started two years back with the support of the retired doctors who provide free medicines and even do minor operations if required,’’ said Mr Pant.