Plastics that are proving to be a threat to the environment and underprivileged women struggling to earn a livelihood. Maybe it is hard for you and me to make a connection but Kaustav Sengupta did. An associate professor of National Institute of Fashion Technology, Chennai, Sengupta through his InkLink Charitable Trust, founded in 2012, envisioned a project to train 20 underprivileged women of Kannagi Nagar, a suburb in Chennai, to upcycle (turning waste into products of better value) plastic waste into lifestyle and fashionable products.
“The initiative not only empowered the women with skills and business opportunities but also spread awareness on upcycling plastics rather than littering the streets with them. Kannagi Nagar is the largest settlement of tsunami victims in India and it has a high crime rate. It was imperative for us to introduce the women to a better way of life,” says Sengupta.
Part of the initiative was to spread awareness about recycling plastics. “Plastic is an unavoidable element in our social ecosystem, because it is inexpensive and easy to use. But plastic waste is non-biodegradable, which makes them damaging to the environment when left in landfills. Hence, rather than disposal, upcycling plastics to create better products is the best way to handle plastic waste,” he says.
Conceptualised along with Shaswati Sengupta, Managing Trustee, InkLink Charitable Trust, 20 underprivileged women from 20 locations of Kannagi Nagar were selected to become the ‘change makers’. “We provided them with free tool kits and training for a month. Design experts from National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad and NIFT provided expert inputs for the programme, as well as volunteers. The participants also learnt team-building and gained knowledge on spreading awareness about plastic waste recycling,” says Sengupta. The initiative was funded by Sabic India Ltd, a manufacturer of plastic granules. Sengupta says the products the team created were displayed at NIFT and the participants were given completion certificates. Plans are on in full swing to find buyers for the products, which include jewellery and desktop items such as coaster and table mats. They are looking at large-scale sales to corporates.
InkLink Charitable Trust has conducted about 30 such workshops in the past two years, transforming the lives of more than 1,000 underprivileged children in Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi and Goa. InkLink primarily runs two modular creative training programmes called Umaang and Udaan, in collaboration with orphanages, homes, schools and charitable societies.
“Umaang is for differently-abled teenagers and autistic children. Here, we focus on building their self confidence by exploring their creative interests and providing them a platform to exhibit their creativity. Udaan is for orphans and underprivileged children and more or less focuses on the same set of goals except that the approach to the two sets of children are different, naturally, considering their physical and mental growth,” explains Sengupta. He also says that a lot of student volunteers are associated with InkLink’s initiatives. “I believe every individual is creative; they need the right mentors, inspiring opportunities and inclusion,” he says of his initiative. Details at www.inklinktrust.wordpress.com.
— shilpa.vasudevan@newindianexpress.com