Generosity

I don’t know if giving away a pair of old, discarded shoes can be counted as an act of generosity. But when BBC launched a campaign for shoes donation, I had no hesitation in contributing to it. It was an easy decision to make. Several pairs of my old shoes, trainers and formal shoes, lay collecting dust. Wearing out of fashion material that have seen better days, just doesn’t appeal to me.

So today, I got a pair of adiddas trainers, bundled them inside a bag, and carried it to a local charity shop. A nice smile welcomed me inside. I departed with a ‘thank you’ from a staff who collected the bag.

My shoes will now head for African. A poor boy, who until now treaded the earth bare feet, will now have opportunity to wear the shoes I purchased two years back. Just think about it, I paid 50 quid for the shoes, and after wearing for five months, the shoes went out of fashion. Since then, I’ve hoarded them inside a pit that has also claimed many more. While in poor country, millions wander bare feet, the soles of their feet frequently pricked and pierced by shrapnel of all kind.

While I don’t feel guilty for being chic, avant garde, in a city that demands me to be that, I do feel guilty when discarded clothes and shoes lie in waste.

This act of generosity definitely won't be a one trick pony.