To create a resilient world where we build back better.
I’m from an Indian state, Kerala, which got disastrously affected by the floods of 2018. We lost almost everything. I lost contact with my family, who got shifted to a relief camp. It was one of the toughest times of my life. Many lost their loved ones, their assets and livelihoods. Loss and loss everywhere! It was the festival season! We were about to celebrate it wearing our traditional handloom clothes and having a delicious feast.
The Chendamangalam weavers, renowned for their handloom clothes, also got badly affected by the floods. The stocks, which they prepared for the festival markets were washed away by the floods. What remained were heaps of mud-stained clothes! That is when I met Chekutty! Meeting Chekutty was one of the eye opening moments of my life.
Today, Chekutty has become my best friend, my guide, my motivator, and many more. Sorry I didn’t introduce Chekutty to you, right? Chekutty is a small handmade doll made up of the mud-stained clothes of Chendamangalam, the remnants of the floods. A few social entrepreneurs came together and made tiny dolls out of the useless clothes. They named it Chekutty, which means the kid who survived the mud. Around 50,000 volunteers in nine countries made almost 12,0000 Chekuttys through workshops, and raised funds, and helped the weavers in reviving their livelihood. Yes, volunteers from nine different countries. Chekutty movement acted as a shock absorber. Weavers who lost their lives and livelihoods rose up like phoenix!
I have done a dissertation titled The Alchemy of turning devastation into innovation: The story of Chekutty dolls in Kerala. During my interaction with the Chekutty volunteers across the world, I was fascinated by the power of altruism and volunteerism. I strongly felt the need of spreading positive stories.
I dream of creating a Global Virtual Museum and an associated volunteering platform, which exhibits icons of resilience and hopes like Chekutty, which tells the world that we, the humankind, have indomitable spirit of resilience and will build back better how worse the disaster could be. This platform would be inclusive in nature by providing audio for blind users, and by being accessible to everyone. As India’s former president A. P. J Abdul Kalam said, dream is not what you see in sleep it is something that doesn’t let you sleep.
Come, let’s do it!