A simple wooden cupboard, where clothes simply appear and disappear as if by magic, has become a talk of the town in Thane. A brainchild of Amrut Deshmukh, a 40 year old Chartered Accountant, has come to the rescue for many needy and homeless people even as the mercury drops. Deshmukh set up the cupboard near Dombivai Nagari Sahakari Bank in Naupada about three months ago. “I had a lot of surplus clothes and I wanted to put them to the use of needy and poor people. So I kept them in this open cupboard and I thought it will be of some help to those who really need them badly. The idea caught up and now many residents are keeping their own stuff for poor to take it,” says Deshmukh. His friend Susheel Hande, too, helped Deshmukh in the cause.
Inspired by Deshmukh's idea, Naupada residents have started participating in the campaign and are selflessly keeping clothes, blankets and woolen items in the cupboard. The underprivileged people then come in the early morning or late night to collect these clothes. Dekhmukh reiterated the "practice before you preach" mantra and said as soon as he buys new clothes, he puts a pair of old clothes in the cupboard. He said he hasn't urged or forced any surrounding resident to donate their clothes but they keep their clothes on their own inside the cupboard. Excited by the success of his idea, Deshmukh is soon planning to start a "community fridge" in the coming days that will help tackle the food insecurity crisis. Shivaji Patil, a security guard outside DNS Bank also witnessed needy people taking the clothes. "It's an inspiring campaign started by Deshmukh and should be followed everywhere," he said.
Sanjyot Deuskar, a professor at Satish Pradhan Dnyanasadhana College, Thane is also fascinated by the idea of "magical cupboard". She is a resident of Panchpakhadi area in Thane. While passing by the Naupada area last week, she spotted this intriguing cupboard and posted about it on Facebook. "It is an idea worth emulating. When I posted about the cupboard, I received many positive comments stating that a similar kind of initiative is implemented in Aurangabad where shoes and clothes are both kept beside the "Wall of Humanity". Prof. Deuskar teaches environmental studies in Dnyanasadhana College for the last 34 years. She has been involved in community service and has started the Urja Setu exhibition in her college showcasing eco- friendly products made by college students, entrepreneurs and NGOs.