Free Dress Bank in Virugambakkam – Chennai.
In the aftermath of the 2015 floods in the city, several Good Samaritans stepped in to help through small scale initiatives. One of them is 40-year-old NE Aslam, MD, Sirpi Interiors. During a time when blankets and clothing became one of the most important needs, after food and water, the entrepreneur opened a dress bank beside his office in Virugambakkam. The dress bank which is 16 months old now, has impacted several lives in and around the locality.
As we make our way through the streets which lead to the bank, we spot Sirpi Interiors — located in the busy ‘Reddy street’. As motorists, buses and cars speed away, passing this establishment, very few take time to notice the dress bank — it doesn’t have advertisements of any sort — a Vinyl sticker with the words ‘FREE DRESS BANK’ is all that one can find.
There are racks of clothes — both used and unused, blankets and a few children shoes in the room. “I think it’s everyone’s responsibility to do their part for the society,” says Aslam. “Though I distributed clothes and other basic supplies in affected areas and to the unprivileged during floods, what I saw few weeks after everything subsided was horrific. The poor didn’t have fresh clothes to wear. Many still wore wet and mucky clothes.”
After contemplating the idea for a few days, Aslam setup the dress bank with help from friends. “I already had the room ready. It’s part of the office. All it needed was a few racks and the contribution from the public,” he shares. News of the dress bank spread through word-of-mouth and he says that he was overwhelmed by the number of people who called him. “I had people not only from this area, but very far areas come here to drop clothes. The best part is that all clothes were in good condition, except a few,” he says.
Anyone who is unprivileged and in need of clothes can walk into the store, collect the keys to the dress bank from Aslam and pick ‘what they need’. “There is a difference between need and want. Sometimes there are people who tend to take more than what they might need, but, I cannot stop them. Who knows? They might need those clothes or maybe they don’t. So, I make it a point to convey the message — take what you need. There are others too,” he smiles.
The dress bank has clothes for all age groups and sizes. “Though we have enough clothes, sometimes the demand for men clothes and also children are high. So, if anyone has a pile of clothes at home dumped in one corner, without a purpose, please clean them and bring them them to our bank!” he smiles.
From strangers who have benefited from the shop and thanking him to women from the slum flaunting their ‘new clothes’ on the street, Aslam has seen it all.
“It’s heartwarming to see these women happy because of the dress bank. They have even said that it doesn’t look or feel like a used dress and thank me whenever they cross the shop. These are little pleasures in life for them,” he smiles.
But sometimes, it’s hard to see the ‘little ones’ leave the bank disappointed, sighs Aslam. “Most people bring their children along and when they aren’t able to find a dress of their size or preference, the children are disappointed. So, we are looking for more clothes for them too,” he says.
Need of volunteers
Aslam needs volunteers who can facilitate pick-up and distribution of clothes in different areas. “I get calls from people from areas that are both near and far. While some drop the clothes here, the others want it to be picked up. Sometimes it’s difficult for me to go out of the way and pick clothes. I have to manage my business as well. It would be great to have like-minded people on board — for dress collection and packaging. If a dress is torn, but is in a fair condition, I am also looking for people who would be willing to stitch it as well,” he adds.
For details, Call Aslam – 9840194408.