BENGALURU: With the city seeing a drop in temperatures, people are busy buying warm clothes. However, there are many people who cannot afford them. To help them, RR Nagar residents are tying up jackets to trees, so that those in need can take them.
The residents said that they were following a Swedish concept. “In Sweden, every winter, they put up jackets on trees and those who can’t afford to buy one, take these jackets. We did the same and put up 14 jackets on trees on Tuesday,’’ said V S Srikanth, member of Rajarajeshwari Nagar Residents Forum. The jackets are brand new, procured by residents from a shopping centre nearby. It cost them Rs 3,000. They tied these jackets on the trunks of trees using the sleeves.
The residents said that they put up jackets in places where there are many people who require them or where construction works are going on so that the labourers can take them. Some of the locations where jackets have been placed are Jayanna Circle, Ideal Home Circle, Marappa Layout and RR Nagar Bus depot. A message was attached to the jackets in Kannada and English which said, “Take it, if you need it- Its Free.”
“After we put up the jackets, we wanted to see if any miscreants take it or if people who have kept the jacket take it. We saw construction workers coming and taking the jackets with a big smile on their faces. Even an old autorickshaw driver took a jacket,” added Srikanth.
The residents plan to continue this exercise every weekend and will spread the message among others so that they can donate their unused jackets, which are in usable condition. They will launch a collection drive this week. “If people do not want to give us jackets, they can put them up themselves with a message,” said Srikanth. They are also planning to put up a message which says take the jacket and water a plant instead, to protect trees.