In a season of giving and new beginnings, uncertainty looms over the fate of the Wall of Kindness in Salt Lake’s FF Block.
The Wall of Kindness is a global charity phenomenon that began in Iran in 2015 and quickly spread all over the globe. It only needs a rope to be hung up against a wall, for people to hang up what they don’t need, and for others to take what they do, no questions asked.
An EE Block resident, who wants to remain anonymous, started such a wall in 2017.
Approaching from the Bidhannagar Municipal School in FE Block, one is to cross the Jaidip Mukherjea tennis academy and take a right from the island. The wall is on the left. Or, was on the left. Last week, the Wall of Kindness got defaced by unknown person(s).
How the wall looked before the vandalism. Brinda Sarkar
The writings on the wall, including its name, plea to passersby to donate and invitation to others to pick them up, are now crossed out with black paint. “I had got children to draw a scenery on the wall too. They defaced that as well,” says the 77-year-old resident who managed the wall and who is shocked and hurt at the vandalism.
Whodunit
Hawkers around the wall do not know who did it but they make it clear they weren’t fans of the initiative.
“More than charity, this was people clearing the junk at home. The clothes on the lines would be old and torn. I’ve never taken anything from there,” says Naresh Das, a cobbler and shoe seller on the footpath next door.
Ram Bilas, another cobbler on the street, adds that those leaving clothes would also dump their garbage on the spot. “And we would have to live next to it,” he says, crossly.
Ward assistant Dilip Roy does not know who manages the wall but wishes the resident would keep the wall tidier. “That corner looks like a dustbin, the way people dump things and go. I have to listen to residents’ complaints. If people really want to donate, let them announce a date and distribute all they have once and for all,” he says.
Joy of giving
But the beauty of the wall is its anonymity, says its founder. It allows one to take with dignity, without having to admit to anyone they are in need.
“The wall was never dirty,” says the founder. “I have hired a man to check on it every two or three days. If there were too many clothes donated, he brought them back and we spread it out over time. Why, there was a bag left even the day after the defacing.”
The wall gets everything from saris and salwars to jeans and T-shirts. “Yes, some clothes would be slightly torn but some come washed and ironed. I once saw a man folding his hands before the wall, saying that donating here was equivalent to serving god,” says the man who is holding off calls from an EE Block lady who wants to donate her late mother’s saris, a resident from GD Block and another from Behala.
While some people go and drop off the clothes anonymously, others who know the founder often hand them over to him.
Way ahead
The founder is most demoralised by the vandalism. “I have nothing to gain from this initiative. On the contrary, I spend my own money to paint that wall every year and keep it attractive. Sometimes on the wall’s anniversaries, I pay to have thank you messages painted for donors. Once someone had begun cutting off the ropes so I paid for wires.
“While no one has ever complained about the wall to me directly, if they think it is attracting a mess, maybe I should pay the Corporation sweeper to keep it clean,” says the man whose children have been asking him to abandon the initiative. “I haven’t decided what to do.”
Local councillor Banibrata Banerjee told The Telegraph Salt Lake that he would look into the matter. “It’s a noble initiative that encourages charity. It should not pose a problem to anyone. I shall find out more about it from the ward workers in charge of the area to ensure its smooth running,” Banerjee said on Wednesday.
Write to saltlake@abp.in