Raikia: Madhusmita Pradhan who came to Raikia to attend a weekly market will never forget this winter. The 41-year-old mother of two girls, who only had an old, torn shawl with her, found it difficult to adjust with the climate of Raikia, where the mercury level has by now dipped below 8 degree Celsius.
When she spotted a huge gathering near the local bus-stand, she went there out of curiosity. She went closer to the gathering and found a huge banner ‘Thile Diantu, Nathile Niantu’ (Donate if you have, take if you don’t) with a huge collection of winter clothes including sweaters, jackets and shawls.
Initially, she thought it was a wholesaler selling winter clothes and asked a person what it was all about. The man politely told her that it was an innovative idea initiated by some social workers and local youths to provide winter clothes to the needy and homeless.
“If you have some old winter clothes, you can donate here. If you don’t have, you can take one for yourself,” the man told Madhusmita. Later, the tribal woman took a warm sweater for herself and her two daughters before going back to her village as she praised the innovative idea of the youths.
“I was surviving with an old, torn shawl as I could not afford new winter clothes. I am grateful that the youths are doing such a wonderful job. God bless them,” she said.
As the winter is approaching, the homeless are finding it difficult to survive the chilling weather without winter clothes. So the local youths decided to provide sweaters for the poor and started the donation campaign.
First, they collected old sweaters, shawls and jackets and invited people to donate more. The sweaters were then placed in display in the local market so that everyone could witness and donate from their part while the needy could take them without any hesitation.
Several people appreciated the good gesture of the youths and donated in huge numbers.
“The season is changing and your clothes from last year may not fit. If you notice clothes piling up in your family’s closets, donating clothes could be a good idea. A small gesture of yours will be a boon for poverty-stricken, deprived people to stay happy during the winter season. Show your generosity and help us collect as many as clothes as possible so that the poor can face the harsh weather conditions comfortably,” the youths said.
PNN
