MALAPPURAM: A wedding dress may have just three to four hours to shine. After the photographs, the celebrations and the farewell, it is usually folded carefully and pushed into the back of an almirah, waiting for another opportunity -- that may never arise.
In Thootha, Perinthalmanna, however, some get another chance.
They go from one bride to another through the ‘Nasar Thootha Dress Bank’, where wedding gowns, saris and other bridal outfits are given free of cost to women who cannot afford to buy or rent one. Now in its seventh year, the initiative has helped more than 1,400 underprivileged women, irrespective of their caste or religion, find a dress for their wedding day.
The collection is built on a simple idea: if a costly wedding outfit is destined to be worn only once, why not let another bride have her special moment in it?
The idea occurred to philanthropist and social worker Nasar Thootha after he returned from the Gulf in 2013 and became involved in philanthropic activities. “Many people used to approach me for help with their daughters’ wedding.
A major concern was the cost of wedding clothes. In Keralam, weddings are celebrated like festivals, and buying the clothes alone can cost tens of thousands of rupees. But these dresses are worn for only three or four hours before being folded and kept in an almirah,” Nasar said.
He began thinking about the many women who wanted to dress up for their wedding but could not afford to spend heavily on outfits that would have little use afterwards.
In 2019, he put up a poster on Facebook asking people to donate their used wedding dresses so that they could be given to brides from financially struggling families.
The response was overwhelming. “I received many dresses. I first started the dress bank at my home. Later, as the number of increased, it was shifted to a room in Thootha.”
Today, the room holds outfits donated by people who want their wedding outfits to find a new purpose. Some have been worn only once, while others are brand new and expensive attire donated by generous individuals. The collection is not limited to lehengas. Wedding gowns, saris and other traditional dresses are available, making it possible for brides from different communities to choose an outfit according to their preferences.
The dress bank is open every Wednesday and Saturday. Brides from Keralam and neighbouring states can visit, choose an outfit and take it home without paying anything.They do not have to return it. Yet, many do.
“Most of the brides return the dresses after their weddings because they want another woman to use them. If they wish, they can keep the dress. There is no condition that they have to return it,” Nasar said.
The outfits currently in the collection range in value from around `5,000 to `80,000, but their worth at the dress bank is measured differently. A dress that once belonged to one bride becomes an opportunity for another to experience a day she may otherwise have had to compromise on.
“Wedding is an important day in a woman’s life. Every bride wishes to wear a beautiful dress on her wedding day. My aim is to fulfil that dream even if she does not have the money to buy one,” Nasar said.
And so, the dresses keep moving.
From an almirah where they might have remained untouched for years, to a room in Thootha, and from there to another bride preparing to walk down the aisle. What was once worn for a few hours is given a second life, carrying forward not just a dress, but a little of the generosity of the woman who chose to pass it on.
1,400 & counting
At ‘Nasar Thootha Dress Bank’, wedding gowns, saris and other bridal outfits are given free of cost to women who cannot afford to buy or rent one. Now in its seventh year, the initiative has helped more than 1,400 underprivileged women, irrespective of their caste or religion, find a dress for their wedding day
