Reduce, Re-home, Rejoice
I grew up in that section of Indian society, which is often regarded as the ‘custodian of personal values’ where money also played a crucial role… it’s the Middle Class. My husband’s transferrable job in major Indian metros combined with my own experience of 15 years in MNCs has given me wide exposure of various cultures. I have been associated with NGOs and individuals and lots of philanthropic work.
Now as a homemaker since 2006, I am fulfilling my passion for a sustainable environment which includes upcycling paper and fabric, making bio-enzymes and compost at home, ensuring minimum plastic usage, etc. I am also an active member of the Green Warriors group working towards the development of the Green Belt of G block, DLF Phase 1, Gurgaon. “The objective of Let’s Deklutter WhatsApp groups is to facilitate decluttering our space by passing on any item which we think may be of use to someone else. The items can be new or pre-loved/used (must be in good condition). It is your choice to post it at a nominal price or free of cost. The buyer benefits by purchasing the item at a much lesser price than the market, and the seller benefits by getting at least a price for the idle item and also creating space (which is the most expensive these days). It is totally a non-profit and non-commercial initiative.
My journey of “Let’s Deklutter” started in Chennai in 2018, when I saw a lot of NGOs doing a commendable job by collecting reusable items from homes and giving it to the underprivileged section of society. While I was happy to see the stuff going to needy people, at the same time a thought cropped up about the other urban household stuff which cannot be consumed by this section. In 2019, when we moved to Mumbai, I started a small library at home with my daughter’s books and even gave away books to kids @ Rs 10 if they wanted to buy them.
Next, I decluttered a lot of my stuff at a garage sale which ultimately motivated me to conceptualise Let’s Deklutter locality-based WhatsApp group which is the most convenient and user-friendly. Finally, my first WhatsApp group was born in my home town in Gurgaon in December 2020. Initially, people were apprehensive as the concept was yet to be accepted. After lots of clarification and explanation to friends and family, I managed to kick off with my first group of DLF Phase 1, 2 & 3. During this journey, I was in continuous touch with members to resolve their queries and to motivate and educate them about the concept of decluttering. I also suggested members to post their requirements as well to help others remind what might be lying idle with them.
The satisfaction and happiness of the members of the first group encouraged me to take the concept PAN India. Today, we are spread in more than 55 cities with around 180 groups having more than 18000 members. To ensure a complete focus on decluttering, the groups are regularly supervised.
A special mention must be made to the extra efforts we have put in, to help those people who were forced to close their businesses due to Covid. Last but not least, our groups have also helped people to know and connect with each other in the same locality. In case you wish to be part of this initiative, you can reach me at 9810783769 (WhatsApp).
