Rabbi Hillel said that “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am not for others, what am I? And if not now, when?” Form 7 and 8 got an opportunity to visit Goonj an NGO (non-governmental organization). Goonj takes our used and unwanted material and makes full use of it. They make products out of those things in ways we could have never imagined. How many of you have ever thought of making a Bag out of your torn or old jeans or even using Audio tapes to decorate your bag? Well at GOONJ they not only imagine it but make it possible! What really impressed me was that -There is no such word as waste materials at Goonj. Give them anything and they’ll make full use of it. “And let me tell you that there are no designers minds at work; it’s largely the ingenuity of our own minds”.
I used to ask myself that I have DC shoes, Guitar, Laptop, Nice clothes to wear all the other things I have ever desired for ;so why do I need to think about the poor, after all I’m rich and have every right to be happy too. But this visit changed everything .I couldn’t believe that a single visit to Goonj would have such a deep impact. It did, it changed everything. It changed the way I think and look at life and others. To me charity was giving money and discarding what you dint need but now I feel:
Charity is not just about donating money, it is the feeling of helping others to improve their lives.
Donation should not come from the pocket but it should come from the heart.
Just think about those children who don’t have all the luxury that we have. Some of them have even lost their parents. I was deeply touched when I got to know that they are happy with what they have and don’t curse anyone for their poor conditions. We all are told from a very young age that – YOU SHOULD BE HAPPY WITH WHATEVER YOU HAVE but I want to ask YOU yes YOU who’s reading this article, aren’t you hungry for more things even though you have already got a lot of do you not always want more?
On this note I would like you to spare a few moments to think about people who do not have means to fulfill their basic needs. All that is required from you is to give your used and unwanted material to bring a smile on a poor kids face. Let’s all promise to help the cause of Goonj in every possible way we can
Parth Kapoor
Form 8
