The “call” to be different, do different and make a difference to the lives of others comes out of the most unexpected twists of fate, like it did for Asha Jomis, who founded the Women’s Business Incubation Programme.
It was Chennai’s devastating floods three years ago that shook her up. Thousands of lives were displaced overnight. No food, water, cloth or shelter. That was the reality in the city. But then, helping hands and voluntary organisations reached out to haul up the helpless. Asha then made her quiet presence felt.
Though she set out with a lot of hope to help the flood-hit, she had to come to terms with reality of a different kind. Her first task was to provide clothes to all those who could not afford or even think of a change of set. So she took off on a clothes collection drive. Her elation soon gave way to shock, disbelief and sheer despair. Not a single item of clothing could be given away. Most of what people handed out were torn or in tatters, old and unusable. There were even used undergarments within the stuff collected. Though three years have gone by, there are still heaps of such clothes dumped in Asha’s office. During the floods and after, when relief work was on, Asha’s office in Kuravankonam, Thiruvananthapuram, happened to be one of the points where old clothes were collected for Chennai flood relief.
Asha could not think of better sentiments other than pity and sympathy for those “generous” donors who had come up with clothes to be given away. Her joy on seeing an avalanche of stuff hitting her office, turned to disgust at the quality of what had come in.
How could people be so insensitive? Was this dirt what the poor and the displaced could hope for? Were they not entitled to a gift of dignity? How could one dole out shredded dresses? Asha realised that more than the joy of giving it was the need to get rid of “waste” that had spurred the giving spree. Her faith in the “milk of human kindness” had taken a severe beating.
A 2012 Jagrathi Yatra of which Asha was a part, took her to the misery of life on streets and the mean alleys of cities. Though life was a story of despair there, there was a sense of dignity to their lives, a dignity the dress donors of Kerala were incapable of showing.
The positive side of this bitter experience, however, was the concept of a “Dress Bank” and its actualisation. The idea lay in stitching clothes from branded and decent material to suit the shape and size of deserving recipients, collecting as many such suits as possible and setting up a bank of such worked out dresses. More than the concept of generous giving, the Dress Bank was conceived as a noble venture, a step towards living a conscientious life as a true human being. Anybody capable of love, sympathy and a sense of responsibility could be a part of the Dress Bank.
The first step was to procure dresses from only those who were willing to sponsor the move. Help came from a totally unexpected quarter in the form of Namitha Kiran who runs the Naomi Fashion Boutique. Things got going when Namitha joined hands with Asha to carry the venture forward. But Namitha went way ahead of others with her plans. She opened a collection point in her boutique and started donating well-worked clothes to well-deserving youngsters who could in no way afford to buy expensive material for their dresses.
The two women thus came up with dresses for all occasions, for those who wanted to be presentable for an interview, or make an impression on their first day in office. There were clothes for special occasions in schools and colleges and much more for those financially unsound. The women set just one condition. Clothes had to be ordered 10 days prior to the need. Folks would then only have to walk in to collect their orders.
Today, there are students and professionals who have become a willing part of Dress Bank. Asha even initiated a makeover session for students and senior women who found themselves diffident and lacked the right clothes to take social challenges head on. Several grooming experts engaged classes for the less privileged. The makeover session held recently was an instant success and seven college students wholeheartedly jumped into Naomi’s makeover bandwagon to groom the economically weak. News of the venture went viral and enquiries started pouring in as to how people could sign up for Dress Bank and contribute towards its success. With donations coming in, the women plan to invest more in the Dress Bank.
“Our aim is to reach out to the underprivileged and give them a gift of clothes for special occasions. What better way to feel fulfilled?”, ask the two women.
Their dresses are only for those who cannot afford to even dream of them.
Donations of any kind are welcome. Cash, dresses worked out or plain material can be handed in, they say. If all textile shops in the city could open collection points just as Namitha did at her boutique, the venture would see more success," said Asha.
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