Sewaj Neesim Foundation Gives A New Identity, Purpose, Pride To Old Military Uniforms

India has the world's second-largest military force with approximately 1.4 million active military personnel. This includes the men and women who serve in the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Navy. When a soldier wears his uniform, he is reflecting a certain ethos, training and commitment, bound by rules and expectations of behaviour. In the armed forces, the uniform denotes discipline, equality and respect. It is a symbol of pride, an integral part of a soldier's identity.

During the course of their military career, our defence personnel wear different uniforms, which change based on rank, duty and occasion. Over the years that amounts to many, many pairs of uniforms per soldier. However, when the uniforms reach the end of their life cycle, they create a major concern - how does one dispose of them with dignity?

Around four years ago, when Lt. General Ashim Kohli retired from the Indian Army, he had a similar question "What do I do with my whole lot of uniforms?" In a conversation with NDTV, Mr Kohli said,

Any average officer will have worn at least 8 to 10 pairs of uniforms at the time of retirement. I was thinking about it and around that time, Covid happened so it gave me the opportunity to work towards it.

Mr Kohli did extensive research on the disposal of uniforms and didn't really find an answer until he created one - NGO Sewaj Neesim Foundation.

Firstly, the idea is to ensure graceful disposal of uniforms and secondly, to add to the sustainable development from the perspective of the environment.

Sewaj stands for SEna WAyu Jal - the three services that make up the armed forces. The Foundation works to give new life to old military uniforms which contain within them, till the very end, the history of a soldier's undying devotion to his country. These uniforms can neither be donated as they are, nor shredded or burned.

The Sewaj Neesim Foundation gives these uniforms a new identity, a new purpose, and new pride as they now come to symbolise service of a different kind. The old uniforms are upcycled into articles of use like bags and caps, among others.

Talking about donating the uniform, Lt. General Ashok Vasudeva (Retired) says,

Uniform has a special place for us. When you give it for a cause, a purpose, you know this uniform is going to the right place. It has value to the person who is going to use it. And you feel satisfied that I have not just thrown away my uniform but given it for a good cause.

Lt. General Ashok Vasudeva says that a backpack is one of the most popular products which brings him joy and happiness when he sees a person carrying a backpack made up of a uniform.

The Sewaj Neesim Foundation collects old uniforms in a variety of ways - retired officers bring them to the workshop; the foundation organises special drives to collect them; old uniforms from various cantonment areas, academies and headquarters are sent in via courier.

Once the uniforms are received, the team then carefully checks for any medals, insignia and name tags, and removes them with due respect. Then the process of upcycling these uniforms begins.

Explaining the process of upcycling uniforms, Deepak Kumar Verma, Production Manager says,

What happens is we get uniforms from different locations, like Assam, Guwahati, Mumbai, Leh and Ladakh. We collect them and then recycle them. In the recycling process, we use three to four different types of chemicals to sanitise them and remove the dirt.

Once sanitised, the uniforms are cut, stitched and packed. Deepak Kumar Verma adds,

We make many types of articles, laptop bags, lunch boxes tiffin carriers, multi-purpose bags soft toys for children and backpacks. So, in this way, we are slowly developing more and more products. We are doing something good on behalf of the Indian armed forces.

The Seewaj Neesim Foundation works with associate NGOs and teams of skilled people who use either the cloth or the yarn in the uniform to make new products like school bags, carry bags, laptop bags, files, bottle covers, face masks, blankets, aprons, bibs and other such useful products.

These products are then donated to those in need, especially children and those in old age homes. Any earnings from the sale of the products are sent to the martyrs' fund.

The foundation's donation drives have taken place all over India, with school bags made from old military uniforms distributed amongst children in Kashmir, Haryana, Assam, Pune and Delhi. These children include those from underprivileged backgrounds, the children of tea garden workers, migrant labour and brick kiln workers, and children with intellectual and learning disabilities, and special needs.

"It gives us great happiness to see our uniforms being used to make all these different products. It feels good to see these products of use," says Colonel Manish Bamba (Retired), one of the donors. Colonel Bamba adds,

It gives us satisfaction to know that the uniforms have gone to the right people in the right place. This organisation uses our uniforms in many different ways to give back to society. It makes me very happy that these products are being used by children and adults of all ages.

Every part of an old military uniform is put to use, even the katran or the leftover scraps of cloth which are stored in tonnes. Under the theme "Har katran kuch kehti hai” (Every piece of scrap says something), the organisation makes small stuffed toys.

Lt. General Ashim Kohli says,

It is for children who have never played with a new toy.

In addition to addressing the issue of textile waste and environment conservation, the entire process is also helping generate employment. The products are produced by associate NGOs based in Delhi and Pune, employing the services of local people, particularly women. And most importantly, it is fulfilling someone's basic requirements for their daily needs.

Sapna, an artisan working with Seewaj Neesim Foundation shares her experience of working with old uniforms. She says,

The uniforms that come here are cut and converted into bags. They are distributed amongst children. It feels good to make them.

But even without an old uniform to donate, anyone can contribute to the foundation. The products made from the old uniforms are also available for purchase, and the foundation accepts monetary contributions as well which go towards product distribution drives in orphanages and old age homes.

While signing off, Lt. General Ashim Kohli gives the message of not creating waste. He says,

It should become a culture that I must do something for the society. What kind of garbage we are piling up! It is choking our systems. We are just throwing the garbage not recycling it. So, that is my message be a responsible citizen, be a responsible corporate house, and contribute towards society in whatever way.