Trekkers set up ‘Mufat Mall’ for Palghar tribal hamlets

Tribal residents stand in queue

In a commendable move, a group of 31 trekkers organised a day-long camp to donate clothes in the tribal belt of Palghar district last Sunday. The trekkers set up a tent, admeasuring around 900 sq ft, at Durves village and named it Mufat Mall, which translates to free mall. Around 1,500 people from nearby tribal hamlets visited the camp which had a coupon system in place, allowing each visitor to collect up to 10 things.

Mufat Mall had a wide range of products - from clothes for men, women and children to footwear to even toys and jewellery. The group, Adventure Lovers, had informed the local gram panchayat earlier so that people would get to know of the event beforehand. "We collected clothes from various locations of Mumbai and nearby areas. We have been running this drive since the past five years. We appeal to people on social media to donate their old clothes which are kept at the bottom of the drawer, gathering dust," said Salman Rangwala, a key member of the group.

The toys section in the Mufat Mall brought joy to the children. Pics/Hanif Patel

After collecting the clothes, stationery and toys, footwear, etc, these trekkers segregated the clothes to ensure they were in a good condition to be used for the camp while the torn clothes were handed over to a Mulund-based NGO for recycling these to make blankets for animals. "The idea behind setting up a tent was to give them a feel of shopping. We had kept the clothes on hangers, while others were kept on tables… The tribal children were especially excited with the toys section," said Rangwala.

His wife Taneem, a chartered accountant, said, "Our friends were also there with their children who had donated their toys. It was pleasant to see the joy on the faces of the tribal children. My friend's child who donated her toys was equally happy. She said, ‘I have played with these toys, and now others will play with these.' This was a unique experience for everybody."

A woman heads home with the things she picked up from the Mufat Mall

She added, "There were people who were in dire need of clothes. There was an elderly woman who picked up clothes and carried them on her head…" Speaking about safety measures, Rangwala said, "We had our masks on and the villagers were sanitised at the entrance. Our team along with Durves gram panchayat official Vishal Gaikar managed the crowd."

The organisers in front of the tent

The group has members from different walks of life who come together for their love of trekking. "We go for trekking in hilly regions which are surrounded by tribal hamlets. One day we decided to do something for them. So, we started encouraging neighbours, relatives and friends to donate old clothes," said Tasneem, adding, "Earlier we would collect the clothes and choose a village where we would give them the clothes. But this year we decided to give them a unique experience and made a tent where they could come and pick up clothes of their own choice."