Charity, for the sole

 

Nandan Pandya of Belapur distributes sandals among the poor people he sees barefoot at traffic signals or at railway stations

 

In a country where millions struggle for the bare necessities of food, clothing and shelter, a young engineering student,Nandan Pandya (in pic), is trying his best to meet the gap between the rich and the poor – by distributing footwear among those who do not have the financial capacity to purchase.   So, don't be surprised if, on any given day, you happen be in Navi Mumbai and see a young lad surrounded by street urchins. Pandya (21), who recently moved with his family from Kandivli to Belapur, is trying to understand his new neighbourhood better. Not by looking around for the nearest malls and cineplexes, but by looking for the spaces where poor people can be found in abundance — and small footwear shops.   The philanthropist in Nandan awoke one day in early 2008 when he noticed an old man near a temple at Kandivli walking barefoot. Upon enquiring why he didn’t wear any sandals to protect his feet, the man had replied that due to old age, his feet had expanded and he was unable to find cheap sandals for his large foot size anymore. A shaken yet determined Nandan bought a pair of slippers the next day and gave it to that man. Thus began the beginning of Nandan’s fascination with people’s feet.   “Then I would buy sandals randomly and would never have a plan about where would I being distributing them. I would give the sandals to whomever I would see was without any footwear. And Mumbai abounds with such kind of people; you will see them anywhere, from traffic signals to railway station platforms,” says the shy Nandan, who prefers to live and do his work in oblivion.   At the time, Nandan was studying at KJ Somaiya College in Sion and he had located the shops from where he could purchase sandals, at each station on his way from Kandivli to Sion. On any day, his notebooks would jostle for space with at least three pairs of average size rubber sandals in his bag, and he would spend Rs 800 a month buying them. Nandan is now extending his help around Belapur, as he tries to familiarise himself with the place.   “I feel it is necessary to buy sandals from the small shops so that they too can get a chance to earn. If I see someone without sandals at a particular place and I am not carrying the sandal of that size on that day, I buy it the next day and give it to them. When I am with my friends, I am no different and my friends have no qualms either,” says Nandan.   Nandan ensures to buy only rubber sandals as they are more durable, especially given Mumbai’s monsoon and flooding history. However, there have also been times where a person he remembers giving away a pair of sandals to was seen with no sandals the next day. But he shrugs it off, saying, “The poor cannot do much with a pair of sandals other than just passing it off to someone else. Of course, since the person to whom the sandal is being passed does not have a pair for himself or herself, I am fine in giving a pair of sandals twice to the same person.”   Just out of college, it comes as no surprise that Nandan is contemplating about starting an initiative with his friends, which will distribute food among the poor. All he needs is a push, some help from corporates to fund his work, and the constant encouragement from his parents who are proud of their young son.