It is a simple and wonderful idea; the sort that one wonders why no one thought of before! The Wall of Kindness idea is a welfare / charity project that is easy to implement and a great way to make sure that what one doesn’t need finds its way to those who do need it. An idea that originated in Iran has found its way to India now.
When western sanctions and high unemployment rates negatively impacted the Iranian economy, an Iranian who wanted to remain anonymous started a new way for people to help those in need. Soon Walls of Kindness started to appear spontaneously in Iran.
With the onset of the cold weather, in Mashhad, someone hung out some clothes on hangers and hooks along with the words, "If you don't need it, leave it. If you need it, take it." Soon donations from others also started to appear and the idea spread to other cities, the spread also being fueled by social media. As the cold intensified, the number of kindness walls increased as well.
The Hyderabad Municipal Corporation also got into the act and created a wall of kindness where people could leave what they did not need and those in need could simply come and pick up items that they could use. At two places in Rajendranagar, people were found to leave clothes, books and other household articles for others to come and pick up.
Also known as Neki ki Deewar, Noida also saw instances of the Wall of Kindness first in sector 25 in November last year and then again in February of this year. The spots were chosen because many people working as domestic help would pass that place each day and could choose items that they needed.
The walls were set up in Noida by the Indian Youth Forum. Three more walls are being set up in Kanpur and the group aims to set up 100 such walls in all.
The District Collector of Tirunelveli Sandeep Nanduri also installed such a wall at the Tirunelveli Collectorate compound for people to hang clothes and other things they do not need. The Wall of Kindness concept is a simple and useful initiative that appears to have gone viral… for all the best reasons!
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