This Sunday, stalls will come up in New Town fair ground solely to welcome young shoppers aged two to 15 years. They will pick a dress of their choice but their parents will not have to foot the bill.

An initiative is being taken whereby people are being asked to gift a dress each to about 300 underprivileged children from New Town and its surroundings. “These children never experience the joy of choosing their own dress in a shop before the Pujas. Even when they are gifted a dress, it is either old or a random one chosen by someone else,” said Ankur Roychowdhury, vice-president of New Town Forum & News, a social welfare organisation comprising New Town residents.

Arrangements have been made with three dress manufacturing units which will set up shop from 9.30am to 4.30pm on Sunday. “We have given them a price range of Rs 300 to 350 for each dress. Coupons are being given out to the identified children, mentioning the time slot when they should report. We do not want 300 children to turn up together,” he added.

Half the kids have been chosen from the slums adjoining Bagjola Canal in Action Area 1 and from Sardarpara on the border of Action Area 3. The others are children of local domestic help and caretakers.

While some donors have handed over the price of a dress or two to the organisers, some will visit the spot to witness the children pick up a dress for which they will pay the shop in person.