Originally started by an anonymous Iranian in his country, the concept of ‘Daste-E-Maddadgaar’ (Wall of Kindness) has become very popular in Jammu and Kashmir too, as people of the union territory started responding to it quite enthusiastically. The idea is to hang clothes onto a wall, which were then used by the needy who cannot afford to buy them.
After a successful run in Srinagar, where the concept was introduced by a Kashmir Police Service (KPS) officer named Sheikh Aadil Mushtaq, the Wall of Kindness came to Uri, where it was enthusiastically received.
DASTE-E-MADDADGAAR
A social activist, Yasir Aftab Malik, brought the Wall of Kindness to Uri. As the chilly winter season arrived, Yasir wanted to help the underprivileged people who were in search of warm clothes to shield themselves from the cold. The whole idea is based on two sentences: ‘Leave what you don’t need’ and ‘Take what you do’.
While speaking to Indian Masterminds, JKPS officer, Mr. Junaid Wali, said, “Yasir came up to me with the idea and I thought of giving it a local dialect. I already had a concept in mind which I wanted to launch by the name of ‘Daste-E-Maddadgaar’, which when translated means ‘Helping Hand’. Clothes were not the only priority, and I thought of giving free books to the underprivileged children as well. Other than that, I also wanted people to help economically backward women get married.”
STARTED WITH CLOTHES
The officer is of the view that when you donate books or give money for a marriage, you will be helping a person for a longer period in life. He said, “The initiative started with this idea. We started off by putting out clothes on a wall in a less populated location. People sometimes feel shy in picking up clothes which are donated by others. Therefore, we chose a discreet location where people can come and go without being noticed.”
As the initiative kicked off and received a good response, the officer took a proposal to the Road & Building Department with the help of SDM Uri for constructing a roof over the wall and some storing boxes. He said, “The work will be completed by the end of this month hopefully and soon we can increase our efforts and help more people.”
The Wall of Kindness has been well received with gratitude by the needy and has motivated the privileged to come forward to help their less privileged neighbours, creating a ripple effect of kindness in the process.
