With these Bengaluru kids, the sole lives on…

The idea of starting Hasiru Sole came during a conversation the two were having one weekend after observing construction workers walking barefoot and pourakarmikas working with unkempt footwear.
Vedika Balachandran and Ameya Uchil distribute footwear to the needy
Vedika Balachandran and Ameya Uchil distribute footwear to the needy(Photo | Express)
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BENGALURU: Most usually tend to throw away their old, worn out shoes if they cannot pass them on to their siblings. But don’t throw away those footwear, and instead hand them over to these Bengaluru kids managing the NGO, Hasiru Sole.

Conceptualised and formed by 16-year-olds, Vedika Balachandran and Ameya Uchil, in February 2023, their NGO till date has handed over 6,000 pairs of footwear to the needy in slums, orphanages and other such places in Bengaluru and Mumbai. They have also donated over 250 mats and 400 bags.

The idea of starting Hasiru Sole came during a conversation the two were having one weekend after observing construction workers walking barefoot and pourakarmikas working with unkempt footwear. The sight of children walking on roads that were littered with sharp objects, garbage and people’s indiscriminate spitting moved them to do something for these people.

Today, they are a team of 15 like-minded friends, who call themselves a club and hold virtual meetings every weekend to decide what to do next. “We do not hand over the shoes immediately after we collect them. We upscale them using cobblers and then hand over. Money for mending the shoes is collected from philanthropists in the neighbourhood and through donations,” said Vedika.

Uchil said, “Finding cobblers is difficult in Bengaluru nowadays. Sometimes, we go to the city outskirts to find them. This way, we are helping them earn a livelihood too.” Walking through their method of working, Vedika said they have no website or social media page, barring an Instagram handle (@hasirusoleclub), where they post pictures after distributing shoes. “We work through word of mouth.

We also have an email address (hasirusole@gmail.com). People tell us that they have shoes to give away or email us. We collect them from their doorstep free of cost. They are then upscaled and distributed to the needy at no cost,” she said.

According to data from various recyclers’ associations, recycling is a better alternative, but it also involves energy intensive processes.

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The New Indian Express
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