PARIVAAR had a meeting with Mr Anshu Gupta, Founder Director of Goonj, on Saturday 22nd August 2009 at 5pm in the AESM Kolkata office. There were a lot of new members who joined Parivaar and we welcome them warmly. The more hands we have the more we can help our less fortunate brethren.

GOONJ – The name itself conjures a lot of questions and answers too. This is rightly so as this organization has answers to all our questions and more importantly answers to the questions which our poor in India need. Goonj is what they relate to and we can relate to them by joining in their efforts to bring a level of decency, literacy and above all self-respect in the lives of these rural poor.

Anshu Gupta of Goonj explained to Parivaar in details what his work was all about – and at the end of the day – we realised that there was so much more we could do in our daily lives besides what we are already doing. This too without any financial contribution.

Goonj would like us to collect old clothes and those which are of no use to anyone now and deliver them to their collection centre in Kolkata. It may be mentioned here that Goonj has collection centers in all the Metro cities so wherever we are we can do the same thing and it will be put to good use. Goonj has a site on the net which can be accessed by all AESM sea fares and their families. Complete details are given at the end of this page.

Mr. Gupta requested that on our children’s birthday we could give away a few new gifts, if possible, for these poor village children too, like rubbers, pencils, etc. Things like old water bottles are most welcome and am sure each one can collect the old bottles from our friends and families and these can be used by the poor children when they go to their village schools – they need to walk miles sometimes to reach their schools and do feel thirsty and your old water bottles would be such a blessing for them. Old rubbers, pencil boxes, stationery, anything that you don’t need can be given to Goonj and you would be proud that you have helped them progress in their education in a small way.

Basically what Mr. Gupta wants is that we do our bit by involving as many friends, colleagues, neighbors and well-wishers in contributing and collecting old clothes/things which is put to such a lot of good use in the villages. In fact even old cassettes and cds can be donated to Goonj and we saw at our meeting the useful products made from them like folders, purses, floor mats etc. Old household articles, bathroom fittings, tiles, old curtains – almost anything we don’t need will be welcomed by Goonj and can be dropped off at their centers. Goonj does not have any pick-up force so this extra bit has be from our part of not only collecting but also reaching the goods to Goonj centres in our city.