NGO odra Foundation led by designer Manish Tripathi in collaboration with North Delhi Municipal Cor porat ion (NDMC) will launch Dream in Colour on June 2. This programme hopes to give a creative vent to the urban poor and safai karamcharis, and work towards an inclusive society. “We want to create a positive impact in these gloomy times.
This inclusive will be supported by citizens. We had a discussion with the NDMC. The back-end operations and structure is ready, but we are working on the modus operandi,” adds Tripathi. The initiative focuses on safai karamcharis and their kids. “A 10x10 feet khadi box will be set up with a door at Kushak Nallah near 11 Murti. Children identified by the NDMC will express their creativity by painting on the fabric, wearing hazmat suits and following Covid precautions.
Even the sanitation workers will splash colours using their brooms, mops, and other cleaning equipment,” informs the designer. The fabric will be eventually removed and stitched into bags, masks, book covers, bookmarks, pouches, pencil pouches, and key chains, etc., by women trained in the programme. Proceeds from the sale of these articles will be given to the needy working in the programme.
“The programme will also have objects made from bottles using recycling techniques. We will set up a Recycle Chaupal, where a tree made from recycled bottles will be stationed, with a letter box, where people can put in their suggestions. This is also for sale,” adds Tripathi. Last year, while conducting Shehar Se Gaon Tak initiative, Tripathi saw potential in the kids of the rural women in the programme.
“The kids make creative objects to play with, but they mostly get unnoticed, and are never rewarded for it. They don’t have adequate support and infrastructure for creative education. That was when I launched Design Pathshaala, and Dream in Colour is a part of it.”
Covid Sarvodaya, Rohini Sector 8
The programme can be replicated with JJ Clusters, RWAs and MTAs, notes Tripathi. “In Rohini Sector 8, at least 2,500 kids study at the Covid institute called Sarvodaya. Of these, 100 kids have lost their fathers due to Covid, and we will do a similar programme with them. Mothers of these kids will be trained in basic stitching. So, the kids will paint, and their mothers will stitch the fabric.” Principal Avdhesh Jha had got in touch with Tripathi, following which he decided to launch it here.
The NDMC Chairman has also directed the IT department to create NDMC Recyclable Portal, where information on how to use recyclable plastic items, and old clothes will be put for the citizens to reduce waste. “The location Kushak Nallah could be used as a workshop for recyclable products up scaling, to give messages such as no littering, discontinue single use plastic, segregate waste (dry, wet, domestic hazardous, and sanitary waste), promote reduce, recycle, and reuse, and control of vector-borne diseases.”
Why and How teams
The six-member team has Anshu Kumari, Sheetal Kejriwal, Unnati, Prabhashit Sharma, and Manak Sharma, plus Tripathi. “I have divided them into Why and How teams. I bring in the ideas and they work on the why and how part of it, and they all put it together, taking help from institutes as well as interns,” he concludes.