By IANS,
New Delhi : FM station Radio Mirchi 98.3 along with an NGO came up with a unique way to help the underprivileged – by asking their listeners to contribute an old pair of jeans for the cause – and they collected 1,500 pairs of ‘purani jeans’.
The campaign, in association with voluntary organisation Goonj, was conceptualised to celebrate six years of Radio Mirchi’s presence in the capital.
Listeners were asked to contribute their favourite pair of old jeans in return for an extension of the station’s popular show “Purani Jeans”, hosted by RJ Sayema, by an hour.
“A person’s favourite pair of old jeans is just like Bollywood music’s golden era – just evergreen. Our reason to ask for a pair of jeans was because parting with our old jeans is like sharing a part of yourself and your love. And it is not always necessary that the underprivileged must get only what we want to discard out of our cupboards,” RJ Sayema told reporters at an event here Monday.
According to Sayema, who enthrals her listeners with old Hindi melodies late night, people from all age groups readily made their contributions towards the cause including an Uttar Pradesh-based doctor, who recently lost his life in an accident.
“Uttam Pawar, a doctor from Uttar Pradesh collected 180 pairs (of jeans) by asking for jeans rather than a fee. Unfortunately, when he was coming to Delhi, he had an accident and succumbed to his injuries. But he made it a point to tell his companion to make sure the packet reaches us,” she said.
Anshul Gupta, founder member of Goonj, to which the jeans would be donated, said that while the basic necessities of a person comprise food, clothes and shelter, people often forget how important clothes are for survival.
“People often donate clothes only when a natural calamity strikes but I guess winters are regular disasters for every person – lack of clothing can make a lot of people suffer,” Gupta said.
“People need to be sensitised about clothing. They keep clothes in their boxes as memories and we have a knack of holding on to such things but if these things can improve someone else’s life, then why not part with it,” he added.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit was supposed to be present for the event, however, she could not make it due to her involvement with a cabinet meeting.