BHUBANESWAR: At the rooftop of their house in Chakeisiani at Bhubaneswar, Gagan Bihari Paital and his wife Annapurna sit amidst stacks of used clothes, toys and utensils arranging them in neat packets. The last few months have been the busiest for the couple who make festivals special for the poor and the needy by gifting them these items free of cost.
Prior to festivals, Gagan, who retired as a Class IV employee of Department of Posts, collects the clothes, shoes, toys, and utensils from people in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar and Annapurna stitches and cleans them. He then distributes the items to those who need them in not just the Twin City but also tribal-dominated villages in the state.
This year, the octogenarian couple has provided clothes to hundreds of people by setting up stalls during Rath Yatra at Puri, Durga Puja in Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur, Olasuni Mela in Jajpur besides Laxmi Puja in Dhenkanal and Angul. “There is a large gathering of poor people during the festivals and melas who come to either enjoy the festivities or earn something during the period. We set up stalls where they can choose the clothes or any other item and take it for free,” he said.
Paital has also travelled to forested and hilly villages to distribute clothes and toys to tribal people and children. This month, he distributed clothes, toys and shoes to Kutia Kondha tribals at Tumudibandha Puja Ghati in Kandhamal district. He will set up a stall for distributing the free clothes amongst the urban poor at the upcoming Bhubaneswar Baliyatra.
A month before every festival, the couple approaches resident welfare associations, people living in apartments, housing societies and various offices to donate clothes and every other utility item that they no longer need. Using a van, Paital collects them single-handedly or with the help of volunteers. The largest room in their small house serves as the godown for storing the collected items. Before distributing the clothes and other items, Paital and Annapurna clean, stitch and iron them.
“We receive things in both good and damaged condition. Both of us make all the products look as good as new before giving them to poor people and children. It makes them happy,” said the philanthropist, who began the initiative after his encounter with a destitute woman at Vani Vihar.
“Ever since I got a job, I have been feeding a few people on the streets once or twice a week. During one such day 10 years back, I saw a woman in a tattered saree sitting on the road near the railway crossing at Vani Vihar. I gave her a small packet of food but she asked me for a saree. I gave her an old saree of my mother and she was very happy receiving it,” Paital recalled.
Since then, he started a drive to collect used clothes and shoes from urban dwellers to distribute them among the poor. Apart from his wife, Paital is helped by his son Mrutunjaya who is a car driver and daughter-in-law Anita Nayak who is a high school teacher at Baliguda in Phulbani district.