‘Nadige’ Footwear Collection Campaign Launched in Udupi
Udupi: A three-day social initiative titled ‘Nadige’ was launched on Friday to collect used or unused footwear in good condition, refurbish it, and make it available to underprivileged children.
The campaign was inaugurated by Rev. Fr. Denis D’Sa, parish priest of Mother of Sorrows Church, Udupi, by planting a sapling at the late Khan Bahadur Haji Abdullah Saheb stage on the premises of MGM College, Udupi.
Speaking on the occasion, Shreyans Bhandari, co-founder of Mumbai-based GreenSole, said a substantial number of footwear items had already been collected for reuse. He added that the initiative had been running for the past 10 years.
“Helping one another and caring for each other is one of God’s greatest messages. Young people should pursue their dreams and passions with hard work and perseverance, even without holding a specific degree,” he said.
Campaign organiser Avinash Kamath said the collected footwear would be sent to the GreenSole Foundation in Mumbai for upcycling before being distributed free of cost to underprivileged people across the country.
He said around 6,000 pairs had already been collected and appealed to the public to contribute footwear during the three-day campaign.
Senior social worker Vishwanath Shenoy, Janata Group director Rakshit Kunder, HPR Group of Institutes, Manipal, chairman Hariprasad Rai, MGM College principal Dr. Gayatri Pai and vice-principal Dr. M. Vishwanath Pai extended their best wishes.
College lecturer Sujith Kotian compered the programme.
Udupi Aims for a World Record
Speaking at the event, Shreyans Bhandari said the organisers aimed to set a Guinness World Record for footwear collection for recycling in Udupi.
He said a previous record had been set in the United States, where 16,000 pairs were collected for recycling. The Udupi campaign aims to collect more than 20,000 pairs. If successful, the initiative could qualify for recognition in the Guinness World Records, he said.
Bhandari also announced that next year’s initiative would expand beyond footwear collection, with volunteers planning to visit villages and reach children in need directly.