Don’t have space in your house? Want to give away CDs, books, clothes, furniture or anything that you have no use of? The Call is your one stop shop. What started as a simple note on social networking site Facebook has now become a full-fledged social experiment.
Suburb space
Started by enthusiasts from Bandra who realised that Mumbai houses barely even accommodate their tenants, The Call is a physical space in the suburb where people can stash items that are of no use to them, to be picked up and recycled by those who may have use of it, for no exchange of money.
Alwyn Alva, one of the organizers, explains how important it is for the concept to work for free. “People can exchange thoughts, ideas, shirts, pants, CDs, DVDs and whatnot unless it is in a good condition. At one time, we have survived on the barter system, so this is a move towards that,” he says.
Alva has recently found a space for this experiment. “The Spastic Society of India was kind enough to offer us their space for free. In return, we will interact with the students, teach them and play with them.” The first two people to give birth to the idea were Cara Eastcott and Himanshu S.
“We already have about 4,000 books for the library,” says Alwyn, “which we purchased for Rs 1.25 lakh from vendors at Fort before they were thrown out by the BMC. This way, at least the books will be read.”
{{/usCountry}}“We already have about 4,000 books for the library,” says Alwyn, “which we purchased for Rs 1.25 lakh from vendors at Fort before they were thrown out by the BMC. This way, at least the books will be read.”
{{/usCountry}}All-round help
The group believes in helping people in whichever way possible, and doesn’t want to position itself as an NGO. As for the money, it will all fall in place, they say. “We will raise funds through art exhibitions and live gigs; we have a lot of artistes, stand up comics, DJs who want to perform to promote this movement. We will have a donation box for those who want to just give cash,” says Alwyn.