Gurgaon resident starts ‘burst hunger, not cracker’ campaign

A Gurgaon resident has started a campaign on social media called ‘burst hunger, not crackers’ and is asking people to celebrate Diwali in a different way.

A Gurgaon resident has started a campaign on social media called “burst hunger, not crackers” and is asking people to celebrate Diwali in a different way.

Saajan Abrol along with volunteers and beneficiaries of The Clothes Box Foundation. (HT Photo)

The 24-year-old Saajan Abrol started the campaign November 1 on social networking site Facebook. The campaign asks people to help someone in need and donate something of value to him/her (food, clothes and blankets), take a photo or a short video and share it on social media with the message: “Instead of bursting crackers, I pledge to burst hunger this Diwali” I accept the #BurstHungerChallenge.”

The person is then further required to challenge five of his/her friends to do the same by tagging them with the photo or video.

In three days, 23 pictures and videos have been uploaded on the campaign’s Facebook page.

“We are lucky to live in a day and age where we can connect to people across the world and share our ideas through social media. As Diwali is just a few days away, we started this campaign and requested people to not spend money on buying crackers and instead feed someone. The concept of posting it on the campaign page is to make more people aware and encourage them to do the same. The response is overwhelming with posts coming from across the country,” Abrol said.

The strategy of the foundation is to place empty boxes in various parts of the country and request people from various walks of life to drop wearable clothes in the boxes. The clothes are then segregated and tagged with the name of the donor, before being donated to those who need them.

Using the social media for this initiative too, members of the project take pictures of the beneficiary with the donated items and share them on the donor’s Facebook page.

“This has a number of positive outcomes. Donors know that their clothes have been donated to the underprivileged and get to see the people who is wearing them. Not only does this bring an added sense of satisfaction, but this simple method also ensures transparency that donations reach the desired destination,” Abrol said.

The group has volunteers in various cities such as Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Ambala, Noida, and Greater Noida.

“I am enthusiastic about reaching out to people. I have asked all my friends and family to accept the challenge and pass it on so that we do something for the underprivileged this Diwali,” said Jatin Agarwal, a volunteer from Hyderabad.